Effects of dietary xylitol on collagen content and glycosylation in healthy and diabetic rats

The effects of three-month dietary xylitol supplementation on the amounts a nd hexose contents of acid-soluble collagen as well as on the amounts and f luorescence of collagenase-soluble collagen were studied in healthy and str eptozotocin-diabetic male rats. Collagen was extracted from skin samples. I n the healthy rats, supplementation with xylitol (10%) increased the hydrox yproline content of the acid-soluble fraction and skin thickness. In diabet ic rats receiving and not receiving xylitol, the acid-soluble collagen frac tion was markedly lower than in healthy rats. However, its amount was signi ficantly elevated when xylitol had been added to the diet. Supplementation with xylitol caused no changes in the amounts of collagenase-soluble fracti on in either healthy or diabetic rats. Supplementation with xylitol (10%) s ignificantly decreased the hexose content of acid-soluble collagen and the fluorescence of the collagenase-soluble fraction in both healthy and diabet ic rats. The results indicate that dietary xylitol affects collagen synthes is and collagen glycosylation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights re served.