Maillard Reaction Products of Stir Fried Hordei Fructus Germinatus Are Important for Its Efficacy in Treating Functional Dyspepsia

(HFG) has been used as a traditional medicine to treat functional dyspepsia (FD) in China. Stir fried HFG (F-HFG) containing Maillard reaction products (MRPs) is used more widely than the raw HFG (R-HFG). However, the exact mechanisms in its functionality remain unclear. This article investigated the effect of R-HFG, F-HFG, and MRPs on brain-gut peptides, gut microbiota, and digestive enzymes using an FD animal mode. After administration of R-HFG, F-HFG, and MRPs, higher mRNA expression level of gastrin and lower mRNA expression level of vasoactive intestinal peptide were exhibited in F-HFG and MRPs rats than R-HFG rats (