Research and Development Division, Toyo Shinyaku Co. Ltd., 7-28 Yayoigaoka, Tosu-shi, Saga 841-0005, Japan.
Faculty of Health and Welfare Science, Okayama Prefectural University, 111 Kuboki, Soja-shi, Okayama 719-1197, Japan.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:974840. doi: 10.1155/2014/974840. Epub 2014 Jul 8.
Young barley leaf is consumed as a popular green-colored drink, which is named "Aojiru" in Japan. In the present study, we examined effects of young barley leaf powder (BL) on gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) and fecal moisture and weight in comparison with wheat bran (WB) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. In addition, an attempt was made to identify BL components responsible for these effects by using various fractions of BL. Additionally, we examined the water-holding capacity and setting volume of BL in vitro. We also examined the granular structures of BL with a scanning electron microscope. As a result, BL supplementation in the diet increased the fecal weight and shortened GTT. Our results demonstrate that the active component responsible for the effect on increasing the fecal volume in BL is the water-insoluble dietary fiber fraction and that this effect is thought to be caused by stimulation of the gut tract by the pH lowering. Furthermore, the high laxative action of BL was thought to be ascribable to the high water-holding capacity due to the complicated structures of BL.
嫩麦苗作为一种受欢迎的绿色饮料在日本被称为“青汁”。本研究以雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠为对象，与麦麸（WB）相比，考察了嫩麦苗粉（BL）对胃肠道传输时间（GTT）和粪便水分及重量的影响。此外，还通过 BL 的各种级分，试图鉴定出这些作用的 BL 成分。另外，还在体外考察了 BL 的持水能力和凝固量。用扫描电子显微镜观察了 BL 的颗粒结构。结果表明，饮食中补充 BL 会增加粪便重量并缩短 GTT。我们的结果表明，BL 中增加粪便体积的作用的活性成分是不溶于水的膳食纤维级分，这种作用被认为是通过降低 pH 值刺激肠道引起的。此外，BL 的高通便作用归因于 BL 复杂结构所带来的高持水能力。
