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This study was to probe the effects of mulberry ferment on constipation (induced by diphenoxylate or loperamide) in mice. Herein, several bioactive substances and antioxidant activities of mulberry ferment were measured, and their effects on defecation, histological structure of ileum and intestinal microflora were investigated. During fermentation, total polyphenols, and flavonoids were increased while the antioxidant activities increased by a large extent. In animal experiments, diphenoxylate caused more serious injuries than loperamide did, and diphenoxylate kept the more unfavorable gut microbiological environment compared with loperamide. Administration of mulberry ferment can increase the fecal moisture content, shorten the first black fecal defecation time, and accelerate the gastro-intestinal transit. Besides, mulberry ferment alleviated ileal tissue organ injuries caused by constipation, suppressed the level of Oscillibacter and Desulfovibrio and increased the Bacteroidales and Bacteroidales_S24-7. In summary, mulberry ferment could be considered as a promising functional food because of their good alleviation on constipation.

The effects of Konjac mannan oligosaccharides (KMOS) on diphenoxylate-induced constipation in mice were investigated in the present study. After administration with KMOS at 1800 mg/kg·bw, the weight and number of black feces within 24 h, and the gastrointestinal transit ratio were distinctly increased by 96.8%, 156.5% and 45.3%, respectively. Furthermore, KMOS regulated the levels of enteric nervous system parameters, including motilin, somatostatin, substance P, acetyl cholinesterase, endothelin and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Additionally, KMOS could recover the characteristics of small intestine villi and inhibit the reduction of mucosal thickness. KMOS administration produced more short chain fatty acids and lactic acid compared with the control group. The availability of 5-hydroxytryptamine and the expression of serotonin transporter were ameliorated in the KMOS treatment groups. Collectively, these findings suggested that KMOS could be considered as a functional food material for regulating intestinal function and alleviating constipation.

Chronic constipation has been associated with depression-like behavior. Previous study identified the crucial role of gut microbiota in the development of constipation and depression. Dietary inulin (INU) could regulate gut microbiota. Whether INU treatment could ameliorate constipation induced depression was not clear. For this purpose, male CD-1 mice were administered diphenoxylate (20 mg/kg body weight/day) to induce constipation. We found that INU (10 % in standard diet) alleviated the diphenoxylate-induced constipation, manifested as the increase weight and moisture content of feces. Furthermore, the associated depression and anxiety-like behavior disorders were improved by inhibiting neuro-inflammation and preventing synaptic ultrastructure damage under INU treatment. Moreover, INU pretreatment improved the diphenoxylate-induced gut barrier damage by upregulating tight junction protein expression. INU also reshaped gut microbiota in constipation mice by increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Proteobacteria and downregulating the abundance of Muribacalum and Melaminabacteria. The effects of INU on diphenoxylate-induced depression were abolished by gut microbiota depletion via antibiotic treatment. In addition, INU increased the concentration of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces contents. Meanwhile, supplementation of SCFAs could also partly improve diphenoxylate-induced depression. In conclusion, INU intake was a potential nutritional intervention strategy to prevent constipation induced depression via microbiota-gut-SCFAs axis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The bioassay guided fractionation of the n-hexane extract of the seeds of Murraya koenigii Spreng (Rutaceae) resulted in the isolation of three bioactive carbazole alkaloids, kurryam (I), koenimbine (II) and koenine (III). The structures of the compounds were confirmed from their (1)H-, (13)C-, and 2D-NMR spectral data. Of the three compounds (I) and (II) exhibited significant inhibitory activity against castor oil-induced diarrhoea and PGE(2)-induced enteropooling in rats. The compounds also produced a significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility in the charcoal meal test in Wistar rats.