Ulmus davidiana Nakai (UDN) has been traditionally used as a herbal medicine in Korea. In the present study, we investigated the anti-ecotoxic potential of a 116 kDa glycoprotein isolated from UDN (UDN glycoprot ein) in regulating fecal malodor and feed efficiency in mice. We found that UDN glycoprotein (200 μg/ml) has an inhibitory effect on the cell death induced by an ecotoxicological endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol A, in colon epithelial HT-29 cells. UDN glycoprotein did not show significant differences regarding the weight of ecotoxicity-related organs (liver, heart, kidneys, and spleen) and the levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase in mice for 2 weeks, compared to the control. Additionally, UDN glycoprotein reduced the levels of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia as markers of fecal malodor in mice. Interestingly, UDN glycoprotein can improve the mouse feed efficiency. In conclusion, our data indicate that anti-ecotoxicological UDN glycoprotein has the ability to increase the feed efficiency and reduce the fecal malodor by maintaining the viability of colonic epithelial cells in mice.

Ulmus davidiana Nakai (UDN) has been traditionally used as a herbal medicine to treat inflammatory diseases in Korea. In the present study, we investigated the anti-ecotoxic potential of a 116 kDa glycoprotein isolated from UDN (UDN glycoprotein) in human intestinal epithelial INT-407 cells. We demonstrated that UDN glycoprotein (20 μg/mL) could inhibit the production of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) induced by toluene, an ecotoxic substance. Additionally, we found that the toluene-induced intestinal cytotoxicity was mediated by the phosphorylation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) via the production of intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). The UDN glycoprotein significantly decreased the levels of ROS production and p38 MAPK activation in toluene-stimulated INT-407 cells. Moreover, the UDN glycoprotein inhibits the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), which is responsible for the production of LDH, in toluene-stimulated INT-407 cells. Collectively, our data indicate that UDN glycoprotein is a natural antioxidant and a modulator of ecotoxicity signaling pathways in human intestinal epithelial cells.