The fate of soluble mucin in the gastro-intestinal tract of sheep

1973 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Hecker

SummaryExperiments were done to determine the fate of soluble mucins in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. Incubation of a soluble mucin with liquor from large intestinal contents resulted in loss of mucin. Some of this loss was due to soluble enzymes. The loss of mucin was less when incubation was with rumen liquor and variable when with ileal liquor.The mean amounts of nitrogen in a soluble mucin fraction which was soluble in trichloroacetic acid (T.C.A.-soluble mucin) were 2·5, 7·3 and 20·0 mg per 100 ml in rumen caecal and faecal liquors respectively. These amounts were only a small proportion of the total soluble nitrogen in these fluids.Amounts of T.C.A.-soluble mucin, measured by sugar content, were greatest in contents from the small intestine. When the amounts of T.C.A.-soluble mucin were compared with the amounts of lignin in the samples, there was an increase between the abomasum and the first part of the small intestine and then a decrease to the caecum. Amounts relative to lignin were low in other parts of the gastro-intestinal tract.The greatest ratio of fucose to rhamnose in T.C.A.-soluble mucin from gastro-intestinal liquors was in ileal liquor. The presence of the two methyl pentoses, fucose and rhamnose, indicates that the T.C.A.-soluble mucin is derived from mucus and bacteria.

1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226
Author(s):  
B.D.E. Gaillard ◽  
A.T. van 't Klooster

One cow was provided with cannulae in the proximal duodenum and terminal ileum. Three experimental rations were offered: 1, hay 7 kg/day and concentrate 6; 2, hay 3 kg/day, paper pulp 3 and concentrate 3.7; 3, fresh grass 11 kg DM/day. Rations 2 and 2 were given twice daily and 3 was offered more frequently. Experimental periods were 5 days in experiment 1 and 7 days in 2 and 3. Samples were taken from each cannula every 2 h for 5 days. Faeces were collected in each period. Flow rate of the intestinal contents was measured with polyethylene glycol and chromium sesquioxide as markers. Carbohydrates in the feed, digesta and faeces were fractionated according to solubility into ethanol-soluble sugars, alpha -glucose polymers, fructosan, water-soluble polysaccharides other than alpha -glucose polymers and fructosan, neutral-detergent-soluble polysaccharides and neutral-detergent residue. Sugars, sialic and uronic acids were measured in the hydrolysates and the sugars were separated chromatographically.Most of the ethanol-soluble sugars and all the fructosan was digested in the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum, considered collectively as the stomach. Digestion of alpha -glucose polymer occurred mainly in the stomach and only 5 to 10% was digested in the small intestine and caecum with colon. The hay and concentrate ration contained more starch than the others and a higher proportion of this was digested in the small intestine and caecum with colon (20.3 and 6.8% of the digestible starch). The water-soluble fraction was digested mostly in the stomach; on rations 1 and 3 more component carbohydrates disappeared from the small intestine than the caecum with colon. Bacterial polysaccharides were thought to be digested in the small intestine and some bacterial growth was indicated, particularly on ration 2 which contained large amounts of cellulose. Fermentation and addition of bacterial polysaccharides and mucus confused the picture of digestion of the neutral-detergent-soluble fraction, but on all 3 rations it was higher in the small intestine than in the caecum with colon. The neutral-detergent residue was mainly fermented in the stomach and the caecum with colon. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


1957 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. A. Vonk ◽  
L. W. McElroy ◽  
R. T. Berg

Four treatments, involving differences in method of feeding and interval between last feed and slaughter, were employed in a study of the effect of dietary chlortetracycline on protease, amylase, and cellulase activity in the intestinal and cecal contents of 16 pairs of weanling pigs. Most consistent results were obtained with six pairs which were limited pair-fed except for the final feeding during which feed was available ad libitum for a 4-hour period ending 18 hours before slaughter. The mean total activities of all three hydrolases in the contents of the small intestines and of the ceca of the antibiotic-fed animals of these six pairs were significantly greater than in those of the control animals. Expressed as activity per gram dry matter of intestinal contents, significantly higher values for protease and amylase, but not for cellulase, were observed in the pigs that had received chlortetracycline. When the combined results obtained from all 16 pairs of the experimental animals were analyzed, the results showed that on a basis of activity per gram dry matter of intestinal contents, ingested chlortetracycline was associated with significant increases in amylase and cellulase but not in protease activity. Protease, amylase, and cellulase activities per gram dry matter of cecal contents were higher for pigs fed the antibiotic than for their controls. The mean wet weight of the empty small intestine and the mean dry weight of the mucosa scraped from the anterior 3-meter section of the small intestine were lower for the chlortetracycline-fed animals, but the differences were not statistically significant.


2002 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Nitzan ◽  
D. Barkai ◽  
Z. Nitsan ◽  
S. Landau1

AbstractAlthough ostriches are herbivores, their diets in commercial farming in Israel consist mainly of concentrates. The objective of this study was to evaluate an alternative for fattening ostriches aged 10 to 30 weeks, which combines pasture with concentrate feeding. Chicks were allotted to three treatments. Diet of group C40 consisted of concentrate only, provided at 40 g/kg body mass (mb). Groups CG20 and CG30 received concentrate at 20 and 30 g/ kg mb, respectively, and grazed 4 to 6 h/day on lush green alfalfa (Medicago sativa), sown barley (Hordeum vulgare), natural pasture or sulla (Hedysarum coronarium). During the last 10 weeks of experiment, groups CG20 and CG30 were merged into one group, managed as CG20 and grazed natural pasture, sulla, alfalfa, or vetch (Vicia sativa). Ostriches from group CG20 and CG30 consumed 390 (s.e.30) g and 260 (s.e. 20) g DM per day at pasture, i.e. 0·46 and 0·28 of their total daily intake, respectively. Pasture intake for CG20 was higher (P < 0·05) than for CG30. Intake of pasture (both grazing treatments combined) was twice as much as on natural pasture or alfalfa as on barley. These results were consistent with the ostriches’ preference for forbs rather than grasses in the natural pasture. The mean organic matter digestibility was 0·84 (s.e. 0·01), ostriches gained at 347 (s.e. 13) g/day, and the food conversion ratio was 3·05 (s.e. 0·16), with no effect of group. Also, grazing did not affect the dressing rate (0·47, s.e. 0·015) or the size and mass of the different parts of the gastro-intestinal tract, with the exception of the glandular and muscular stomachs, which were proportionately 0·4 (P < 0·05) heavier in grazing birds. Lower (P < 0·05) fat content (33·8 v. 26·5 g/kg) but not tenderness, of a selected muscle (fibularis longus) was found for grazing birds. This study suggests that, in young ostriches, grazing lush green pasture may reduce concentrate intake by proportionately 0·4, without altering growth performance or carcass yield and quality.


Author(s):  
S.H. Hawe ◽  
N. Walker

Microbial metabolism of dietary tryptophan in the gastro-intestinal tract results in the production of skatole and indole. These compounds, collectively classed as indoles, may be absorbed and deposited in carcass tissue and have been associated with taints especially in entire male pigs (Hansson et al., 1980). As indoles are readily absorbed over the entire tract in humans (Fordtran et al., 1964), it was suggested by Lundstrom et al. (1988) that diet may influence skatole production and hence levels in the carcass. The objectives of this study were to determine the sites of skatole production in the gastrointestinal tract and the effect of diet on production and carcass levels.


2002 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 579-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Mbatha ◽  
C. T. Downs ◽  
I. V. Nsahlai

AbstractThis study was conducted to determine the effects of different levels of dietary tannin on gastrointestinal tract (GIT) histology and on liver and kidney masses. Five groups of Boer goats were given diets containing 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg of tannin for 6 weeks before data collection. Differences in the histopathology of the oesophagus, reticulum, rumen, omasum, abomasum and duodenum were evaluated. Increased dietary tannin levels induced thickening and/or keratinization of epithelial tissue in the reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum. Increased tannin levels also resulted in a loss of epithelial cells, erosion of microvilli and shortened villi height in the duodenum, which could impair the absorption of nutrients. Consequently, condensed tannins had a negative effect on the histopathology of the Boer goats.


1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
FM Tomas ◽  
BJ Potter

The effect of magnesium chloride infusion to different sites in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep upon the net absorption of magnesium from different regions of the digestive tract has been examined. Four Merino wethers were each prepared with cannulas sited in the rumen, in the duodenum adjacent to the pylorus and in the terminal ileum. The basal diet provided 18.45 mmoles magnesium/ day and an additional 65 mmoles magnesium/day as magnesium chloride was continuously infused into (A) the rumen, (B) the rumen and duodenum in equal portions, (C) the duodenum and (D) the terminal ileuni. A continuous infusion of Cr-EDTA to the ruinen enabled digcsta and magnesium flow rates to be estimated from digesta samples obtained from the intestinal cannulas at 4 hr intervals over 3 days. For treatments A, B, C and D respectively, the mean net absorption of magnesium (mmoles/day) from the rumen was 20.4, 11.4, 1.4 and 3.4; from the small intestine –0.5, 1.7, –5.1 and –9.8; from the large intestine 4.6, 2.2, 12.7 and 12.3; and from the total gastrointestinal tract 24.6, 15.4, 9.1 and 4.9. In each case the effect of treatment was significant. The total net absorption of magnesium caudal to the pylorus was unaffected by treatment. Plasma magnesium levels were reduced during post-ruminal infusion of magnesium, but these changes were not obviously linked to the changed net absorption from the intestinal segments. The urinary and faecal excretion of magnesium, but not the magnesium balance, was strongly related to the total net absorption of magnesium. The results emphasize the major contribution of the stomach to the gastrointestinal net absorption of magnesium and show that although the amount absorbed from this region may influence separately the net absorption from the large and small intestine, it does not appear to influence the overall intestinal net absorption of magnesium.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Colombo ◽  
Enrico Sangiovanni ◽  
Mario Dell'Agli

Several biological activities of pomegranate have been widely described in the literature, but the anti-inflammatory effect in the gastrointestinal tract has not been reviewed till now. The aim of the present paper is to summarize the evidence for or against the efficacy of pomegranate for coping with inflammatory conditions of the gastro-intestinal tract. The paper has been organized in three parts: (1) the first one is devoted to the modifications of pomegranate active compounds in the gastro-intestinal tract; (2) the second one considering the literature regarding the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate at gastric level; (3) the third part considers the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate in the gut.In vivostudies performed on the whole fruit or juice, peel, and flowers demonstrate antiulcer effect in a variety of animal models. Ellagic acid was the main responsible for this effect, although other individual ellagitannins could contribute to the biological activity of the mixture. Different preparations of pomegranate, including extracts from peels, flowers, seeds, and juice, show a significant anti-inflammatory activity in the gut. No clinical studies have been found, thus suggesting that future clinical studies are necessary to clarify the beneficial effects of pomegranate in the gastrointestinal tract.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 65-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Singh ◽  
W Hendriks ◽  
L Tucker ◽  
D G Thomas ◽  
G Fahey

There is a large body of research investigating the nutritional needs of the dog at different life-stages and the use of different feed ingredients in commercial diets (Clapper et al, 2001; Schroeder & Smith, 2008). Despite this, though there has been relatively little published work looking at the role the large intestine plays in nutrient digestion in the dog. The dog’s gastro-intestinal tract has been compared to the cat’s in terms of relative length. However the cat is a true carnivore and has little need to ferment fibre from the diet, whereas the dog is a scavenger and will consume a much wider range of food, and therefore may need to ferment fibrous material from the diet. The dog may therefore require a more developed large intestine to harbour a microbial population to aid in the digestion of this fibrous material. This study was performed to determine differences in digestion of nutrients in this segment of the canine gastrointestinal tract.


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