Laxative effects of triple fermented barley extracts (FBe) on loperamide (LP)-induced constipation in rats

Abstract

Background Constipation, a common health problem, causes discomfort and affects the quality of life. This study intended to evaluate the potential laxative effect of triple fermented barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) extract (FBe), produced by saccharification, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Weissella cibaria , on loperamide (LP)-induced constipation in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, a well-established animal model of spastic constipation. Methods Spastic constipation was induced via oral treatment with LP (3 mg/kg) for 6 days 1 h before the administration of each test compound. Similarly, FBe (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats once a day for 6 days. The changes in number, weight, and water content of fecal, motility ratio, colonic mucosa histology, and fecal mucous contents were recorded. The laxative properties of FBe were compared with those of a cathartic stimulant, sodium picosulfate. A total of 48 (8 rats in 6 groups) healthy male rats were selected and following 10 days of acclimatization. Fecal pellets were collected one day before administration of the first dose and starting from immediately after the fourth administration for a duration of 24 h. Charcoal transfer was conducted after the sixth and final administration of the test compounds. Results In the present study, oral administration of 100–300 mg/kg of FBe exhibited promising laxative properties including intestinal charcoal transit ratio, thicknesses and mucous producing goblet cells of colonic mucosa with decreases of fecal pellet numbers and mean diameters remained in the lumen of colon, mediated by increases in gastrointestinal motility. Conclusion Therefore, FBe might act as a promising laxative agent and functional food ingredient to cure spastic constipation, with less toxicity observed at a dose of 100 mg/kg.

Protective effects of a triple‐fermented barley extract (FBe) against HCl/EtOH‐induced gastric mucosa damage in mice

“…Various fermentation processes increase the bioavailability of phenolic compounds of barley and increase various antioxidantbased pharmacological activities (Giriwono et al, 2010(Giriwono et al, , 2011Hokazono, Omori, Yamamoto, et al, 2010;Iguchi et al, 2009;Kim et al, 2007). In our previous reports on the laxative effects of FBe on normal rats (Lim et al, 2018a) and loperamide-induced constipated rats (Lim et al, 2018b), FBe showed favorable laxative effects at dose levels of 300, 200, and 100 mg/kg. In this study, three different doses of (Grover et al, 2001) in this experiment.…”

“…In this study, three different doses of (Grover et al, 2001) in this experiment. The doses of FBe, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg, were selected, similar to those in our previous reports on the laxative effects of FBe on normal rats (Lim et al, 2018a) and loperamide-induced constipated rats (Lim et al, 2018b), and the dose level of RA was also selected as 100 mg/kg according to a previous efficacy study (Grover et al, 2001).…”

“…A number of barley extracts produced from fermentation have been reported to be potent pharmacological effects, especially antioxidant (Giriwono et al, 2011), uric acid lowering (Hokazono, Omori, Yamamoto, Akaoka, & Ono, 2010), antiatopic dermatitis Iguchi, Kawata, Watanabe, Mazumder, & Tanabe, 2009), hepatoprotective (Giriwono et al, 2010(Giriwono et al, , 2011, and immunostimulatory (Kim et al, 2007) activities, compared with nonfermented extracts. In our previous reports on the laxative effects of fermented barley extract (FBe) in normal rats (Lim et al, 2018a) and loperamide-induced constipation rats (Lim et al, 2018b), in which FBe showed favorable laxative effects at concentrations of 300, 200, and 100 mg/kg. However, there are no systemic assessments for gastroprotective effects of fermented barley extracts, to the best of our knowledge.…”

Paeoniflorin Improved Constipation in the Loperamide-Induced Rat Model via TGR5/TRPA1 Signaling-Mediated 5-Hydroxytryptamine Secretion

“…e studies suggested that loperamide could inhibit intestinal motility and intestinal fluid secretion through several mechanisms such as blocking acetylcholine release [18] and calcium channels [19], as well as inhibiting the function of calmodulin [20]. us, loperamide is extensively used to establish animal constipation models [21][22][23]. In the present study, we successfully established a constipation rat model using loperamide treatment, as evidenced by decreases in fecal pellets, fecal water content, and intestinal transit rate.…”

Laxative Effects of a Standardized Extract of Dendropanax morbiferus H. Léveille Leaves on Experimental Constipation in Rats

“…Fecal excretion is considered an important factor during the development of laxative drugs. An effective laxative should increase the frequency of defecation, reduce stool retention in the colon lumen, and increase the water content of the stool [19,25]. The reduced fecal excre-…”