Table 2.
Body weight and physiological indices of the gastrointestinal tract of rats.
| Indices | C | HF | HF + FS | HF + DFS | ANOVA p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial BW, g | 290 ± 2.2 | 296 ± 2.5 | 295 ± 2.2 | 295 ± 3.0 | NS |
| Final BW, g | 404 ± 5.1 b | 429 ± 5.4 a | 423 ± 8.8 a,b | 429 ± 6.1 a | <0.05 |
| Small intestine | |||||
| Mass with digesta, g/100 g BW | 1.44 ± 0.025 b | 1.52 ± 0.044 a,b | 1.62 ± 0.041 a | 1.52 ± 0.035 a,b | <0.05 |
| pH of digesta | 7.31 ± 0.134 a | 6.85 ± 0.088 b | 6.90 ± 0.107 b | 6.72 ± 0.133 b | <0.01 |
| Digesta viscosity, mPa*s | 2.01 ± 0.169 | 1.91 ± 0.130 | 1.74 ± 0.133 | 1.63 ± 0.188 | NS |
| Mucosal disaccharidase activity 1 | |||||
| Sucrase | 18.5 ± 2.46 b | 23.3 ± 3.45 b | 24.5 ± 3.84 a,b | 35.8 ± 5.31 a | <0.05 |
| Maltase | 81.0 ± 12.6 b | 102.6 ± 15.7 b | 105.4 ± 16.0 b | 158.3 ± 22.1 a | <0.05 |
| Lactase | 2.95 ± 0.581 b | 3.03 ± 0.433 b | 3.58 ± 0.442 b | 5.47 ± 0.500 a | <0.01 |
| Caecum | |||||
| Tissue mass, g/100 g BW | 0.155 ± 0.004 | 0.141 ± 0.008 | 0.151 ± 0.003 | 0.159 ± 0.005 | NS |
| Digesta mass, g/100 g tissue | 1.69 ± 0.156 | 1.62 ± 0.152 | 1.40 ± 0.224 | 1.23 ± 0.151 | NS |
| pH of digesta | 7.45 ± 0.091 | 7.56 ± 0.073 | 7.57 ± 0.109 | 7.41 ± 0.100 | NS |
| Ammonia, mg/g digesta | 0.314 ± 0.027 | 0.366 ± 0.050 | 0.328 ± 0.022 | 0.340 ± 0.019 | NS |
| SCFA concentration 2 | 65.7 ± 3.89 | 65.8 ± 3.35 | 64.6 ± 5.68 | 62.3 ± 3.78 | NS |
| Colon | |||||
| Tissue mass, g/100 g BW | 0.259 ± 0.019 | 0.262 ± 0.017 | 0.253 ± 0.013 | 0.232 ± 0.009 | NS |
| Digesta mass, g/100 g tissue | 0.835 ± 0.122 a | 0.785 ± 0.124 a | 0.469 ± 0.073 b | 0.642 ± 0.043 a | <0.05 |
| pH of digesta | 7.23 ± 0.069 | 7.21 ± 0.114 | 7.22 ± 0.097 | 7.02 ± 0.088 | NS |
| Digesta bacterial enzymes activity 3 | |||||
| α-glucosidase | 31.1 ± 2.73 a | 21.9 ± 1.19 b | 29.4 ± 1.78 a | 28.2 ± 1.78 a | <0.05 |
| β-glucosidase | 6.79 ± 0.77 b | 3.65 ± 0.54 b | 10.10 ± 0.98 a | 13.26 ± 1.70 a | <0.001 |
| α-galactosidase | 22.7 ± 1.34 a | 15.6 ± 1.15 b | 25.3 ± 2.09 a | 21.7 ± 1.62 a | <0.01 |
| β-galactosidase | 100 ± 10.3 b | 92 ± 3.0 b | 133 ± 10.1 a | 129 ± 7.7 a | <0.01 |
| β-glucuronidase | 62.2 ± 7.72 b | 91.2 ± 4.97 a | 63.4 ± 6.18 b | 88.7 ± 12.29 a | <0.05 |
All values are expressed as the mean ± SEM (n = 8). Values not sharing the same superscript (a,b) within a row are different at p ≤ 0.05. C: group fed a standard diet for laboratory rodents; HF: group fed a high saturated fat-containing diet; HF + FS: group fed a high saturated fat-containing diet supplemented with native flaxseeds; HF + DFS: group fed a high saturated fat-containing diet supplemented with defatted flaxseeds; BW: body weight; SCFA: short-chain fatty acid; PSCFA: putrefaction short-chain fatty acid; NS: non-significant. 1 µmol/min/g protein. 2 µmol/g digesta. 3 µmol/h/g digesta.