Dietary Fungal Glucosylceramide and Ceramide Reduce the Formation of Aberrant Crypt Foci in 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine-Treated Mice: Differences in the Role of Glucosylceramide and Ceramide

Abstract

Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is composed of a glucose moiety attached to ceramides (Cer). GlcCer was reported to reduce the intestinal impairments in vivo and suppress in vitro intestinal inflammation. In this study, to clarify the effect of GlcCer on intestinal impairments in vivo, we compared the effects of shiitake mushroom-derived GlcCer (fungal GlcCer) on the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and colon inflammation with those of fungal Cer having the same Cer moiety of the fungal GlcCer. Fungal GlcCer- or Cer-supplemented diets significantly suppressed ACF formation in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-treated mice. Dietary fungal GlcCer reduced the expression of inflammation-related cytokines and apoptosis-related proteins induced by DMH, whereas dietary fungal Cer hardly reduced their expression upon intestinal injuries. Furthermore, when fungal GlcCer was ingested to the mice, only a small amount of fungal Cer was detected in the feces. These results indicate that the ingested fungal GlcCer might be hardly metabolized to fungal Cer and the GlcCer itself might suppress ACF formation in DMH-treated mice by suppressing intestinal inflammation.

Bioaccessibility of Glucosylceramide in Rice Based on the Cooking Condition and Cultivar

“…Variations in GlcCer accessibility may be markedly affected by aging and diseases 20) . Rice has the same ceramide levels as GlcCer levels 21) , and ceramide has recently been reported to exhibit intestinal protection 22) and skin improvement 23) . In future, more valuable data could be obtained by investigating the ceramide levels in rice and used levels of Rice A was heated using an autoclave.…”

A Decrease in the Hardness of Feces with Added Glucosylceramide Extracted from Koji In Vitro—A Working Hypothesis of Health Benefits of Dietary Glucosylceramide

“…Further studies are required to test these hypotheses. Another study has described the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of glucosylceramide in vitro [ 39 ]. This explains the prevention of colitis and colon cancer in vivo .…”