Abstract:

An increasing amount of attention is being paid to litchi pericarp procyanidins due to its strong antioxidant activity
in vitro and in vivo. Litchi pericarp oligomeric procyanidins (LPOPC) were investigated in this study. SD rats were administered
with LPOPC at the dose of 150 mg/(kg•d) for 1 week. The urine and feces were collected on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th day
during LPOPC administration to compare excreta characteristics from the control group. LPOPC administration resulted in
a significant elevation in the T-AOC of rat urine, which was linked to total phenol content. However, the fecal odor of rats
revealed a decreasing trend after the administration of LPOPC as illustrated by electronic nose analysis, which was due to the
reduction in putrefactive products such as indole and 4-ethyl phenol in feces and an increasing amount of volatile compounds
such as benzaldehyde and 4-methyl phenol as identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS. In addition, LC-MS analysis of procyanidin
metabolites in feces suggested that (－)-epicatechin and m-coumaric acid were the major components.

Key words: Litchi pericarp procyanidins, rats, excreta, T-AOC, electronic nose, GC-MS