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Fermentation and subsequent disposition of 14C-labelled plant cell wall material in the rat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

D. F. Gray
Affiliation:
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU
M. A. Eastwood
Affiliation:
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU
W. G. Brydon
Affiliation:
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU
S. C. Fry
Affiliation:
Centre for Plant Science, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JH
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Abstract

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A 14C-Iabelled plant cell wall preparation (I4C-PCW) produced from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) cell culture exhibits uniform labelling of the major polysaccharide groups (%): pectins 53, hemicellulose 13, cellulose 21, starch 3. This 14C-PCW preparation has been used in rat studies as a marker for plant cell wall metabolism. Metabolism of the 14C-PCW occurred largely over the first 24 h. This was due to fermentation in the caecum. The pectic fraction of the plant cell walls was degraded completely in the rat gastrointestinal tract, but some [14C-]cellulose was still detected after 24 h in the colon. Of the 14C,22% was recovered in the host liver, adipose tissue and skin, 26% excreted as 14CO2 and up to 18%was excreted in the faeces. There was no urinary excretion of 14C. In vitro fermentation using a caecal inocuium showed reduced 14CO2 production, 12% compared with 26% in the intact rat. 14C-PCW is auseful marker to investigate the fate of plant cell wall materials in the gastrointestinal tract. These studies show both bacterial fermentation of the 14C-PCW and host metabolism of the 14C-labelled fermentation products.

Type
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1993

References

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