This study was performed to examine the effects of severalkinds of dietary fiber (DF) with different physical properties onblood glucose and serum uric acid concentrations in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats fed a diet with dietary RNA. MaleWistar rats (5 weeks old) were divided into four groups; one halfof the groups were rendered diabetic by an intraperitonealinjection of STZ (70 mg/kg body weight), and the diabetic andnondiabetic rats were fed a diet with or
without 3 % (w/w) yeast RNA. The rats in each experimental groupwere fed a diet with or without 5% (w/w) DF (cellulose, chitin,chitosan or inulin) for five days. Chitosan and inulin were foundto suppress the elevation of blood glucose in diabetic rats. Thisphenomenon was not observed in the cellulose and chitin groups. DFtest groups showed lower serum uric acid concentrations as comparedto the fiber-free diabetic group. Lastly, we observed thatresponses of blood glucose and serum uric acid concentrations inSTZ-induced diabetic rats fed dietary RNA vary with the type ofDF.

Key words: dietary fiber, streptozotocin, dietary RNA, bloodglucose concentration, serum uric acid concentration, chitosan,inulin, rats.

Abbreviations: CL, cellulose; DF, dietary fiber; FF, fiber-free;CS, chitosan; CT, chitin; IDDM, insulin-dependent diabetesmellitus; IGT, impaired glucose tolerance; IN, inulin; NIDDM,non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; STZ, streptozotocin; SV,settling volume; WHC, water-holding capacity.