| BackgroundLuohanshen is a kind of perennial vine,mainly growing in the plain area of Southwest of Shandong Province.Its root tuber is yellowish gray,round or irregularly elliptic,measuring 3-8 cm in length.The texture of its skin is rough, but the inside is white and delicate.The study from Shandong Agricultural University showed that the dry substance of Luohanshen contained 38.2%of starch,17.3%of crude protein,4.2%of reducing sugar and it was also rich in crude fiber,vitamins and minerals.But Luohanshen has not been written into China Food Composition.Studies for Luohanshen's health care functions have not been found,either.ObjectivesTo determine the contents of resistant starch in raw and cooked Luohanshen and to explore its function in improving constipation and modulating intestinal flora.Methods1.The determination of the resistant starch content of Luohanshen.The contents of resistant starch and total starch were determined before and after cooking in Luohanshen and other four kinds of tuber crops(white potato, taro,sweat potato,yam) by a method that mimicked gastrointestinal conditions, and making comparisons.2.The study of the function of Luohanshen in improving constipation in mice. Mice were randomly divided into the small intestine motor experiment group and the defecation experiment group.Then each group were randomly divided into five equal groups(the blank control group,the model control group,the low dose group,the middle dose group and the high dose group).Mice of the model control group and three dose groups had the constipation model established with compound Diphenoxylate after 15 days feeding with basal feed or basal feed containing 5%,10%,15%Luohanshen.The effect of Luohanshen on the feces excretion function in the constipated model mice was studied by small intestine motor experiments and defecation experiments.Defecation function of normal mice was assessed in the blank control group and three dose groups of defecation experiment group after feeding three more days.Measuring the ink-impelling ratio,the time of the first ink defecation,the quantity and the weight of feces in 5 hours and comparing them among groups.3.The study of the function of Luohanshen in modulating intestinal flora in mice.40 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups(the control group,the low dose group,the middle dose group and the high dose group) and feeding with basal feed or basal feed containing 5%,10%,15%Luohanshen for 30 days. Collecting mice faces through aseptic technique before and after feeding and counting the number of enteric bacilli,enterococci,lactobacilli and Bacillus bifidus in them.Comparing them cross-reference and among groups.Results1.The contents of resistant starch of 100g TS in raw and cooked Luohanshen were respectively(77.31±4.22)g and(24.70±2.24)g,both of which were higher than those in other four kinds of tuber crops(P＜0.05).The contents of resistant starch in cooked food reduced in comparison to the raw form.2.The small intestine motor experiment showed that the ink-impelling ratio of the middle and high dose group was increased compared with the model control group(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).The defecation experiment on the constipation model mice showed that the time of the first ink defecation in the three dose groups was shorter than that of the control group(P＜0.01),the quantity and the weight of feces of the low and middle dose groups were higher than those of the control group in 5 hours(P＜0.05).The defecation experiment on normal mice showed that except for the time of the first ink defecation,no significant differences were found from the blank control group.3.Comparison of cross-reference result showed that lactobacilli of the low dose group was increased(P＜0.01),Bacillus bifidus of the low dose group and lactobacilli and Bacillus bifidus of the middle dose group was increased(P＜0.05). lactobacilli and Bacillus bifidus of the middle dose group was increased(P＜0.01), lactobacilli and Bacillus bifidus of the low dose group and lactobacilli of the high dose group was increased(P＜0.05) compared with the control group.The number of enteric bacilli and enterococci has no significant difference compared with cross-reference and among groups.Conclusions1.The content of resistant starch was reduced after cooking and was higher in Luohanshen than in other common tuber crops.The contents of resistant starch in cooked food reduced in comparison to the raw form.2.The results indicated that Luohanshen was able to improve constipation in constipated mice but had no effect in normal mice.3.The results indicated that Luohanshen was able to modulate intestinal flora of mice. |
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