Preventive Effects of Different Fermentation Times of Shuidouchi on Diphenoxylate-Induced Constipation in Mice

This study compares the prevention effects of Shuidouchi with different fermentation times on constipation in mice. Shuidouchi is a short-time fermented soybean product. By improving its processing technology, it can incur better biological activity and become a health food. The Shuidouchi-treated mice were evaluated using constipation-related kits, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and Western blot assays. After the mice were fed 72-h-fermented Shuidouchi (72-SDC) for 9 d, the defecation time to excrete the first black stool was lower than that of the control and 24-SDC and 48-SDC groups, but was much higher than that of the normal group. The gastrointestinal (GI) transit of the small intestine of the 72-SDC group was higher than that of the control and the 24-SDC and 48-SDC groups, but lower that of the normal group. Meanwhile, 72-SDC could significantly increase the levels of ghrelin, endothelin-1 (ET-1), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in the serum of constipated mice compared to the levels in mice in the control group. Moreover, 72-SDC could raise c-Kit, stem cell factor (SCF), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GNDF), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels, and reduce transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression levels in small-intestinal tissue compared to the levels in the control group. Meanwhile, 72-SDC also raised ghrelin mRNA expression in gastric tissue and transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) mRNA expression in colon tissue compared to the control group mice; these effects were stronger than those of 24-SDC and 48-SDC. Shuidouchi has good preventative effects on constipation and performs best when fermented for at least 72 h.

Impaired function of the intestinal barrier in a novel sub-health rat model

Sub-health is a state featuring a deterioration in physiological function between health and illness, and the sub-health condition has surfaced as life-threatening in humans. The aim of the present study was to establish a sub-health model in rats, and investigate the function of the intestinal barrier in the sub-health rats and rats following intervention. To establish a sub‑health model, the rats were subjected to a high‑fat and sugar diet, motion restriction and chronic stress. Their serum glucose and triglyceride levels, immune function and adaptability were then measured. The levels of diamine oxidase and D‑lactic acid in the plasma were analyzed as markers of the intestinal permeability. The protein and mRNA expression levels of anti‑apoptotic YWHAZ in the colonic tissue was detected using immunohistochemical and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses In the present study, the sub‑health rat model was successfully established, and sub‑health factors increased the intestinal permeability and reduced the expression of YWHAZ. Providing sub‑health rats with normal living conditions did not improve the function of the intestinal barrier. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that intestinal disorders in the sub‑health rat model may result from the damage caused by reduce intestinal barrier function as well as the decreased expression levels of YWHAZ. Additionally, rats in the sub‑health condition did not recover following subsequent exposure to normal living conditions, suggesting that certain exercises or medical intervention may be necessary to improve sub-health symptoms.