MUCIN DEGRADATION IN HUMAN-COLON ECOSYSTEMS - DEGRADATION OF HOG GASTRIC MUCIN BY FECAL EXTRACTS AND FECAL CULTURES

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 81  (4) , 751-758
Abstract
The degradation of hog gastric mucin, which is structurally similar to human gastric mucin, was studied in anaerobic human fecal cultures and by partially purified enzyme fractions from human fecal extracts and anaerobic culture supernates. Extensive degradation of the mucin carbohydrate moieties occurred in all systems; the degradation of mucin protein was less. During a 48 h incubation, the average percent degradation of mucin carbohydrates and mucin protein were, respectively, 96 and 57% in eight fecal cultures, 66 and 15% by 4 fecal culture supernates and 78 and 43% by 3 fecal extracts. Degradation of mucin protein was greater during bacterial growth in fecal cultures than during incubation with fecal culture supernates, suggesting that bacterial protease activity was predominantly cell bound. As in the rat, the human enteric microflora evidently degrades mucin carbohydrate moieties extensively and the mucin protein to a lesser extent.