Investigation of mannooligosaccharides from coffee administration and synergistic effect with vitamin D3 on calcium absorption in rats

Background and objectives: We confirmed that mannooligosaccharides (MOS) derived from coffee have promotive effects on calcium absorption in the large intestine, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the large intestine are thought to be the cause of these effects. Vitamin D3 (VD3), on the contrary, is known to aid calcium absorption in the small intestine, and the Japanese government has approved it for use in nutritionally functional meals. The synergistic effects of MOS and VD3 on calcium absorption in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were examined in this study. Methods: This study was carried out with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Ajinomoto General Foods, INC. For 14 days, SD rats (5 weeks old) were fed the control diet (CFR-1; CLEA Japan INC.) and water ad libituim. During the experimental period, MOS (200 mg/kg body weight) or VD3 (2 μg/kg body weight) or both MOS and VD3 were orally administered to the rats daily. The SD rats were given a calcium solution (500 mg/kg body weight) on the 14th day, 15 min after each item was given, and urine was collected for 12 h. The calcium content of the urine was determined. Results: MOS or VD3 administration resulted in a substantial increase in urine calcium when compared to the control (p < 0.05 in both). In comparison to the control, MOS + VD3 treatment resulted in a significant increase. However, there was no statistically significant difference in MOS + VD3 administration and MOS or VD3 administration. Conclusions: In this study, MOS administration had enough effects on calcium absorption. However, the synergistic effects of VD3 and MOS were not confirmed in this study.