Food & Function PAPER Cite this: DOI: 10.1039/c4fo00638k Received 18th July 2014, Accepted 2nd December 2014 DOI: 10.1039/c4fo00638k www.rsc.org/foodfunction The effect of low or high molecular weight oat beta-glucans on the inflammatory and oxidative stress status in the colon of rats with LPS-induced enteritis Jacek Wilczak,* a Katarzyna Błaszczyk, b Dariusz Kamola, a Małgorzata Gajewska, c Joanna Paulina Harasym, d Małgorzata Jałosińska, e Sylwia Gudej, b Dominika Suchecka, b Michał Oczkowski b and Joanna Gromadzka-Ostrowska b Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the protective effect of low and high molecular weight beta-glucans on the chosen immunological parameters, markers of antioxidative potential in rats’ colon tissue, the number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in rats’ faeces. Methods: The experiment was carried out on 72 8-week old male Sprague–Dawley rats: control (n = 36) and experimental (n = 36). In half of the animals from each group enteritis was induced by LPS (10 mg kg −1 ). Rats from the experimental group were divided into two groups receiving high (GI) or low (GII) molecular weight beta-glucans for 6 consecutive weeks. Results: LPS evoked enteritis in all the treated animals, manifested by changes in the levels of IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha, as well as in the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs) in the colon tissue. Dietary supplementation with beta-glucans following LPS treatment partially reversed this effect. The changes in SCFA concentration were noted, indicating an improvement of the fermentation process in the colon. This effect coincided with an increased number of LAB, pointing at the prebiotic properties of beta-glucans. The positive influence of beta-glucans was also manifested by the improved values of anti- oxidative potential markers (TAS, SOD, GR and GPx activity, TBARSconcentration), noted especially in rats with LPS-induced enteritis. This influence was more pronounced in the case of low molecular weight oat beta-glucan (GII). Conclusions: The present study showed a positive effect of beta-glucans, especially the low molecular weight form, on the colon tissue of healthy rats, as well as animals with LPS-induced enteritis. Introduction Due to their functional properties, beta-glucans are extremely important in healthy human nutrition and the dietary preven- tion of certain pathologies. 1–4 The soluble form of beta- glucans, isoform 1,3-D/1,4-D, is of the highest importance in the dietary prevention and treatment of alimentary tract dis- eases. This fraction is present only within the grains of cereal crops such as barley or oats. The beta-glucan content in cereals varies considerably from 50 to 110 g per kg in barley and from 30 to 70 g per kg in oats. 5 Due to their solubility in water, beta-glucans form gels resistant to hydrochloric acid and human digestive tract enzymes and, thus, are not digested within the tract lumen. Thanks to the property of beta-glucans to form viscous gels, the alimentary tract is lined with the gel that protects the mucosal membrane from the irritation caused by digestive enzymes or potentially toxic factors in the digestive tract content. In addition, water-soluble beta-glucans have probiotic properties 6–8 and may regulate both the microbial profile and the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) content of the stool. 9 Beta-glucans derived from oats were demon- strated to promote normal blood glucose levels, significantly a Division of Dietetics, Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. E-mail: jacek_wilczak@sggw.pl b Chair of Nutritional Physiology, Department of Dietetics, Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland c Division of Biochemistry, Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland d Food Biotechnology Department, Institute of Chemistry and Food Technology, Wroclaw University of Economics, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland e Chair of Food Hygiene and Quality Management, Department of Food Gastronomy and Food Hygiene, Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014 Food Funct. Published on 02 December 2014. Downloaded by WROCLAW UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS on 19/12/2014 09:17:28. View Article Online View Journal