Different effects of short- and long-chained fructans on large intestinal physiology and carcinogen-induced aberrant crypt foci in rats.

Inulin-type fructans, which are nondigestible carbohydrates, have been shown to modulate the number of induced preneoplastic lesions in the colon as well as the colonic microflora in laboratory animals. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of a short- and long-chained inulin-type fructan on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the rat colon. In addition, the present study investigated the influence of chain length, dietary level (5% or 15%), and duration of feeding (5 or 10 wk) on the following intestinal parameters supposed to be involved in the development of ACF: microflora, short-chain fatty acids, pH, and cell proliferation.

Transfer of the pheromone-inducible plasmid pCF10 among Enterococcus faecalis microorganisms colonizing the intestine of mini-pigs.

A new animal model, the streptomycin-treated mini-pig, was developed in order to allow colonization of defined strains of Enterococcus faecalis in numbers sufficient to study plasmid transfer. Transfer of the pheromone-inducible pCF10 plasmid between streptomycin-resistant strains of E. faecalis OG1 was investigated in the model.