Effects of Oat β-Glucan and Barley β-Glucan on Fecal Characteristics, Intestinal Microflora, and Intestinal Bacterial Metabolites in Rats

TLDR

The study aimed to assess the gut‑health benefits of oat and barley β‑glucan. A randomized 6‑week gavage trial with 200 rats divided into control, low‑ and high‑dose oat and barley β‑glucan groups measured intestinal health indices at baseline, week 3, week 6, and week 7. β‑glucan altered fecal water content, pH, ammonia, β‑glucuronidase, azoreductase, and short‑chain fatty acids, increased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, decreased Enterobacteriaceae in a dose‑dependent manner, and oat β‑glucan produced stronger gut‑health effects than barley β‑glucan.

Abstract

The primary objective was to determine the beneficial effects of oat β-glucan (OG) and barley β-glucan (BG) on gut health. A total of 200 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups of 40 rats each, control group (CON), low-dose OG-administered group (OGL), high-dose OG-administered group (OGH), low-dose BG-administered group (BGL), and high-dose BG-administered group (BGH). OGL and OGH were administered oat β-glucan by intragastric gavage at a dose of 0.35 g/kg of body weight (BW) and 0.70 g/kg of BW daily for 6 weeks, and BGL and BGH were administered barley β-glucan. The CON received normal saline. Intestinal-health-related indexes were analyzed at baseline, week 3, week 6, and week 7. Cereal β-glucan significantly influenced the fecal water content, pH value, ammonia levels, β-glucuronidase activity, azoreductase activity, and colonic short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations (p < 0.05). Moreover, the population of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium increased (p < 0.05), whereas the number of Enterobacteriaceae decreased (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner during the period of cereal β-glucan administration. These results suggested that cereal β-glucan might exert favorable effects on improving intestinal functions and health but the gut-health-promoting effects of oat β-glucan were better than those of barley β-glucan.