Effect of Insoluble Dietary Fiber Extracted from Salicornia herbacea L. on Large Intestinal Function in Rats

Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Inje UniversityAbstract This study investigated the effect of insoluble dietary fibers extracted from Salicornia herbacea L. (S.herbacea) on the improvement of intestinal function in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on diet containing 5% and 10%S. herbacea dietary fiber (SHDF) for four weeks. Rats receiving the SHDF diet showed a significant decrease in theirtriglyceride levels and an increase in HDL-cholesterol levels. In addition, compared with the control group, the SHDFgroup showed a significant increase in the total quantity of the feces and its moisture content. The intestinal transit timeof the feces was also shorter in this group. The pH of the feces decreased in all the other experimental groups. Particularly,the bile acid content of the feces and the thicknesses of the mucus layers showed significant recovery on SHDF intake.These results suggest that dietary fiber isolated from S. herbacea has a marked effect on the improvement of bowelfunction in rats with loperamide (2 mg/kg)-induced constipation.Keywords: insoluble dietary fiber, Salicornia herbacea L., constipation, bowel function