Abstract
Water-insoluble β-glucan has been reported to have beneficial effects on human health. However, no studies have thoroughly characterized the structure and function of water-insoluble β-glucan in oat bran. Thus, the structure and effect of water-insoluble β-glucan on weight gain and lipid metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were analyzed. First, water-insoluble β-glucan was isolated and purified from oat bran. Compared with water-soluble β-glucan, water-insoluble β-glucan had higher DP3:DP4 molar ratio (2.12 and 1.67, respectively) and molecular weight (123,800 and 119,200 g/mol, respectively). Notably, water-insoluble β-glucan exhibited more fibrous sheet-like structure and greater swelling power than water-soluble β-glucan. Animal experiments have shown that oral administration of water-insoluble β-glucan tended to lower the final body weight of obese mice after 10 weeks treatment. In addition, water-insoluble β-glucan administration significantly improved the serum lipid profile (triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels) and epididymal adipocytes size. What is more, water-insoluble β-glucan reduced the accumulation and accelerated the decomposition of lipid in liver. In conclusion, water-insoluble β-glucan (oat bran) could alleviate obesity in HFD-fed mice by improving blood lipid level and accelerating the decomposition of lipid.
Highlights
Mixed-linkage β-glucan is a high-molecular-weight polymer composed of monomeric β-D-glucopyranose via β-1,3- and β-1,4-glycosidic bonds [1]. β-Glucan is mainly found in the aleurone layer, sub-dextrin layer, and cell wall of some cereal endosperms, such as oats, barley, and rice
Water-insoluble β-glucan comprised glucose, xylose, and arabinose in the ratio of 91.60 ± 0.44%, 2.02 ± 0.44%, and 1.86 ± 0.47%, which was similar to water-soluble β-glucan (91.89 ± 0.43%, 2.13 ± 0.33%, 1.81 ± 0.25%)
This indicated that the β-glucan extracted and purified from oat bran was mainly composed of glucose
Summary
Mixed-linkage β-glucan is a high-molecular-weight polymer composed of monomeric β-D-glucopyranose via β-1,3- and β-1,4-glycosidic bonds [1]. β-Glucan is mainly found in the aleurone layer, sub-dextrin layer, and cell wall of some cereal endosperms, such as oats, barley, and rice. The extraction of β-glucan from oats was carried out by hot water, alkali liquor, combined with enzymatic or ultrasonic physical methods. Β-Glucan can be divided into water-soluble and water-insoluble fractions according to its solubility in water. Oat β-glucan has been shown to have several beneficial effects on human health [3,4]. Many studies have shown that water-soluble β-glucan has various physiological functions, including lowering plasma cholesterol and postprandial blood glucose and improving intestinal microecology [5,6,7]. Water-insoluble β-glucan has been shown to have some physiological functions. There was limited information about the structure of water-insoluble β-glucan in oat bran, which restricts the study of its physiological function
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