Effects of guar gum and cellulose on cecal enzyme activity and cecal short-chain fatty acids in young and aged mice.

The effects of cellulose or guar gum on cecal enzyme activity and cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in young and aged mice were studied. Male Crj:CD-1 (ICR) mice were fed an MF diet for 4 (young mice) or 23 months (aged mice). The MF diet was then replaced with a semisynthetic diet supplemented with 5% guar gum or 5% cellulose. The mice were fed the guar gum or cellulose diet for 3 weeks. There was no significant difference in cecal content between the two diet groups. There were no significant differences in total short-chain fatty acid production between the young mice fed the cellulose and those fed the guar gum diet, and between the aged mice fed the cellulose and guar gum diet. There were significant differences in cecal enzyme activity between the young mice fed the cellulose and those fed the guar gum diet. Beta-glucuronidase activity was significantly higher in the young mice fed the guar gum diet than in those fed the cellulose diet. There were also significant differences in cecal enzyme activity between the aged mice fed the cellulose diet and those fed the guar gum diet. Beta-glucuronidase activity was significantly higher in the aged mice fed the guar gum diet than in these fed the cellulose diet. Beta-glucosidase activity was significantly lower in the aged mice fed the guar gum diet than in those fed the cellulose diet. The effect of cellulose on the microflora between the young and aged mice might be different from the effect of guar gum. The degree of adaptation to the diet of microflora in young and aged mice fed the cellulose diet might differ from that in those fed the guar gum diet. The higher enzyme activities of microflora in aged animals compared to young animals, might have some relation with the incidence of colon cancer in aged animals.