Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are a highly nutritious shellfish that are widely consumed worldwide, and their polysaccharides have been confirmed to have prebiotic properties through in vivo digestion. It has been demonstrated that polysaccharides derived from oysters greatly increases Lactobacillus reuteri. We have previously reported on the antioxidant activity of paeonol (2'-Hydroxy-4'-methoxyacetophenone),which has the chemical structure of hydroxyacetophenone in this compound, and its oral administration showed therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis in rats. The absorption kinetics of paeonol in rat intestines has also been investigated. On the other hand, paeonol has been reported to have an antibacterial effect, so we tried to examine the effect of this compound on lactic bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) in vitro when used in combination with oyster powder extract or adenosine. Adenosine was used as a component confirmed in the oyster powder extract tested. As a result of this study, we found that the combined use of paeonol and oyster powder extract was effective in restoring the growth of lactic bacteria. Specifically, the recovery rate of the growth was 92 % in the 1 % oyster powder extract containing 25 mM paeonol group compared to the 5 % DMF control group. We also confirmed the effect of the combination with paeonol and adenosine on lactobacillus proliferation, but the recovery rate of the combination with 0.125 mM adenosine containing 25 mM paeonol was only 69 %. Therefore, it is suggested that oyster powder extract may include something ingredients other than adenosine, indicating that can be expected to have the effect of increasing the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum.
