Nutrients (Jul 2024)

Highly Soluble β-Glucan Fiber Modulates Mechanisms of Blood Glucose Regulation and Intestinal Permeability

  • Angela M. Marcobal,
  • Bruce R. McConnell,
  • Riley A. Drexler,
  • Katharine M. Ng,
  • Maria X. Maldonado-Gomez,
  • Alexandria M. S. Conner,
  • Cory G. Vierra,
  • Nithya Krishnakumar,
  • Hannah M. Gerber,
  • Jada K. A. Garcia,
  • James P. Cerney,
  • Matthew J. Amicucci

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142240
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 14
p. 2240

Abstract

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β-glucans found in cereal grains have been previously demonstrated to improve blood glucose control; however, current understanding points to their high viscosity as the primary mechanism of action. In this work, we present a novel, highly soluble, low-viscosity β-glucan fiber (HS-BG fiber) and a preclinical dataset that demonstrates its impact on two mechanisms related to the prevention of hyperglycemia. Our results show that HS-BG inhibits the activity of two key proteins involved in glucose metabolism, the α-glucosidase enzyme and the SGLT1 transporter, thereby having the potential to slow starch digestion and subsequent glucose uptake. Furthermore, we demonstrate in a multi-donor fecal fermentation model that HS-BG is metabolized by several different members of the gut microbiome, producing high amounts of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), known agonists of GPR43 receptors in the gut related to GLP-1 secretion. The production of SCFAs was verified in the translational gut model, SHIME®. Moreover, HS-BG fiber fermentation produces compounds that restored permeability in disrupted epithelial cells, decreased inflammatory chemokines (CXCL10, MCP-1, and IL-8), and increased anti-inflammatory marker (IL-10), which could improve insulin resistance. Together, these data suggest that the novel HS-BG fiber is a promising new functional ingredient that can be used to modulate postprandial glycemic responses while the high solubility and low viscosity enable easy formulation in both beverage and solid food matrices.

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