Calcium Bioavailability in the Soluble and Insoluble Fibers Extracted from Opuntia ficus indica at Different Maturity Stages in Growing Rats

Abstract

Childhood and adolescence are crucial stages of life for bone health. Therefore, an adequate calcium intake and a healthy life style constitute the main strategies to prevent the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures during adulthood. It has been demonstrated that inclusion of indigestible carbohydrates in foods can help improve calcium absorption in growing stages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of soluble and insoluble fibers extracted from O. ficus indica cladodes on calcium bioavailability. Male Wistar rats 4-week old were fed diets added with soluble and insoluble fibers extracted from O. ficus indica cladodes at early and late maturity stages, as the only source of calcium. The mineral content, bone mineral density (BMD), physical, microstructural, and biomechanical properties of rat femurs were determined. The bones of rats fed with diets containing a soluble fiber extracted from O. ficus indica at early and late maturity stages exhibited better bone properties (resistance to fracture, microarchitecture, and calcium content) than control rats and rats fed with an insoluble fiber from O. ficusindica cladodes at both maturity stages. As expected, based on these results, the BMD values were higher in adolescent and pubertal rats fed with a diet containing the O. ficus indica soluble fiber. These results demonstrate that the soluble fiber from O. ficus indica cladodes is indeed a valuable source of bioavailable calcium, which contributes to improve physical, densitometric, biomechanical, and microstructural properties of bone in growing rats.

Comparative Analysis of the Chemical Composition and Physicochemical Properties of the Mucilage Extracted from Fresh and Dehydrated Opuntia ficus indica Cladodes

“…Nevertheless, differences can be attributed to different edapho-climatic cultivar conditions and cladode age [46]. Most of the calcium contained in the mucilage is in the form of CaCO 3 , which is bioavailable [6,8,9]. As expected, due to water loss, calcium, ash, protein, and NFE contents were significantly higher in mucilage obtained from dehydrated cladodes.…”

“…Furthermore, O. ficus indica cladodes constitute an important source of minerals in the diet, mainly calcium [6]. In fact, our research group has previously demonstrated, employing models of growing and ovariectomized rats, that calcium in O. ficus indica is bioavailable [7][8][9]. The content of water in these cladodes is high (90-96 g/100 g), thus dehydration constitutes an alternative to increase the shelf life of this product, reducing transportation and storage expenses [10].…”

Molecular docking and in vivo protective effects of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) against metabolic dysfunction in high-fat, high-sodium diet-fed rats

“…, butyrate, acetate, and propionate) by stimulating pH decline and thus increasing the solubility and transcellular absorption of mineral ions like Ca 2+ and magnesium. 84…”

“…83 When compared to rats fed HF/NaCl diet, rats given either okra mucilage or flesh, more specifically mucilage, experienced a significant increase in serum Ca, Mg, and K and a significant decrease in Na and P. This effect may be attributed to the fermented indigestible carbohydrates in okra mucilage and flesh, which can be fermented in the large intestine, thus enhancing calcium absorption by producing particular SCFA (i.e., butyrate, acetate, and propionate) by stimulating pH decline and thus increasing the solubility and transcellular absorption of mineral ions like Ca 2+ and magnesium. 84 3.8.7. Effects of okra mucilage and flesh on urinary and femur electrolytes in HF/NaCl fed rats.…”

An overview and update on the chemical composition and potential health benefits of Opuntia ficus‐indica (L.) Miller

“…In growing male Wistar rats, cladodes at the late maturity stage were reported to contribute to bone formation (Hernandez‐Becerra et al, 2020); in addition, soluble fibers obtained from cladodes at late and early stages of maturity showed better bone properties (calcium content, resistance to fracture, and microarchitecture) when compared to control and rats fed with cladodes' insoluble fibers (Mendoza‐Ávila et al, 2020). Calcium from cladodes' (at late maturity stage) soluble fibers was reported by Quintero‐García et al (2020) to be bioavailable and to help in the improvement of microstructural, biomechanical, densitometric, and physical bone properties in ovariectomized rats.…”