The digestive system comprises of the gastrointestinal tract and the accessory organs of digestion, which includes the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. The digestive system plays a major role in your pet’s overall health as it is responsible for bringing nutrients to its body and it is an important source of immune function.[1,2] A crucial component of the intestine is the glycocalyx (iGCX), a highly hydrated, glycoprotein-rich coat that is part of the primary host-microbe interface and is essential for nutrient absorption. The disruption of the iGCX has been implicated in numerous gastrointestinal diseases.[3] Aging is accompanied by loss of functionality of the GI tract with reduced ability to digest fat and proteins and absorb nutrients.[4] Revitalize GI is specifically formulated to protect the GI tract and promote a healthy digestive system. Revitalize GI is a unique formulation combining 3 groups of supplements:

• Antioxidants to prevent damage of the GI tract, such as olive leaf extract, ginger root extract, bilberry extract, lactoferrin and cysteine.
• The building blocks of the iGCX: hyaluronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine;
• Supplements that promote digestion and stimulate the appetite, like taurine, choline, and betaine.

The antioxidants The intestinal integrity plays an essential role in nutrition, metabolism, and whole-body homeostasis. Therefore, damage to the mucosal epithelium can impair the absorption of nutrients, thereby compromising the health of animals.[5] Intestinal oxidative stress caused by viral or bacterial infection, or foreign substances, plays an important role in intestinal injury by triggering the immune imbalance and inflammation. That leads to intestinal mucosal injury and impaired nutrients absorption. Many intestinal diseases are initiated and promoted by oxidative stress, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), enteric infections, ischemic intestinal injury, and colorectal cancer.[6] Therefore, many antioxidant supplements have been investigated to fight the oxidative stress and protect from further damage. Revitalize GI includes several powerful antioxidants, such as

• Cysteine: functional amino acid utilized for the synthesis of glutathione in the intestine;[5]
• Ginger root extract: showed decreased mucosal injury and improved symptoms in animal models of colitis thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties;[7]
• Olive leaf extract (OLE): it has been documented in human trials and animal models that OLE can exert a positive modulation on intestinal microbiota as well as benefits in chronic inflammatory bowel conditions;[8,9]

The building blocks of the iGCX As mentioned above, degradation of the iGCX leads to intestinal mucosal injury as well as immune imbalance and inflammation. Maintaining an intact iGCX is essential for a properly functioning GI tract and maintain the whole-body homeostasis. Recent studies have shown how dietary supplementation of GCX precursors can help restoring a deteriorated GCX in mice[10] and humans.[11] Therefore, Revitalize GI is formulated to provide hyaluronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine, that were found to have protective effects in wild-type mice in DSS-induced colitis,[12] promoting epithelial protection and repair in the intestine and colon, and possible involvement in the regulation of gut microbiome.[12,13] N-acetylglucosamine was found to improve the intestinal development and nutrient absorption of weaned piglets [14] and showed promise in chronic inflammatory bowel disease in children.[15]     Digestion and appetite The digestive system plays a major role in your pet’s overall health as it is responsible for bringing nutrients to its body and it is an important source of immune function.[1,16] As discussed above, aging is also accompanied by loss functionality of the digestive system with reduced ability to digest fat and proteins.[17] Revitalize GI is formulated to promote a healthy digestive system and stimulate your pet’s appetite. Revitalize GI includes:

• Betaine HCl, which aids in the breakdown and digestion of protein, of particular importance especially for older pets as their production of hydrochloric acid (HCl) declines with age. In fact, an adequate level of stomach acid, is essential to activates digestive enzymes that break down food into small proteins for absorption. Low stomach acid can contribute to stomach aches, poor digestion, burping and bad breath.
• Taurine, is an amino sulfonic acid which is critical for many organ functions and digestion. Taurine’s most well-defined role is conjugation of bile salts in the liver. When taurine is limited, most mammals can conjugate bile salts with glycine, exceptions being the dog and the cat, which conjugate bile salts almost exclusively with taurine. In fact, taurine deficiency may cause digestive disturbances.[18]
• Choline plays an essential role in fat metabolism in the liver, preventing abnormal accumulation of fat, of particular importance for cats that are easily prone to develop fatty liver disease. [19]

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. References [1]  Pitma R. S., Blumberg R. S. First line of defense: the role of the intestinal epithelium as an active component of the mucosal immune system. J. Gastroenterol. 35 (2000) 805–814. [2] Tizard I. R., Jones S. W. The Microbiota Regulates Immunity and Immunologic Diseases in Dogs and Cats. Vet. Clin. North Am: Small An. Pract. 48 (2) (2018) 307-322. [3] Sun W. W., et al. Nanoarchitecture and dynamics of the mouse enteric glycocalyx examined by freeze-etching electron tomography and intravital microscopy. Commun. Biol. 3 (2020) [4] Laflamme D., Gunn-Moore D., Nutrition of Aging Cats. Vet. Clin. Small Anim. 44 (2014) 761–774. [5] Hou Y., Want L. Yi D., Wu G. N-acetylcysteine and intestinal health: a focus on mechanisms of its actions. Front. Biosci. 20 (2015) 872-891. [6] Wang Y., Chen Y., Zhang X., Lu Y, Chen H. New insights in intestinal oxidative stress damage and the health intervention effects of nutrients: A review.  J. Funct. Foods 75 (2020) 104248 [7] Ranjbar F. S., et al. Zingiber officinale (Ginger) as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease: A review of current literature. Front. Drug. Discov. 2 (2022)1043617. [8] Larussa T. Imeneo M., Luzza F. Olive Tree Biophenols in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: When Bitter is Better. Int. J. Mol. Sci. Rev. 20 (6) 1390. [9] Martin-Pelaez S., Castaner O., Sola R., Motilva M.J., Castell M., Perez-Cano F.J., Fito M. Influence of phenol-enriched olive oils on human intestinal immune function. Nutrients 8 (2016) 213. [10] Machin D. R., Nguyen D, Bramwell R. C., Lesniewski L. A., Donato A. J. Dietary Glycocalyx Precursor Supplementation Ameliorates Age‐Related Vascular Dysfunction. Exp. Biol. 33(S1) (2019) 1-828. [11] Long et al. Synergistic glycocalyx treatment composition and methods. US 2016/0296603 A1 US 20160296.603A1 (2016). [12] Riehl T. E., Ee X., Stenson W. F. Hyaluronic acid regulates normal intestinal and colonic growth in mice. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 1 (2012) 303(3): G377–G388. [13] Shmagel A, Demmer R, Knights D, Butler M, Langsetmo L., Lane N. E., Ensrud K. The Effects of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate on Gut Microbial Composition: A Systematic Review of Evidence from Animal and Human Studies. Nutrients 11 (2019) 294. [14] Wang Z. et al. N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine improves the intestinal development and nutrient absorption of weaned piglets via regulating the activity of intestinal stem cells. Anim Nutr. 8 (2022) 10–17. [15] Salvatore S et al. A pilot study of N-acetyl glucosamine, a nutritional substrate for glycosaminoglycan synthesis, in pediatric chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 14 (2000) 1567 – 1579. [16] Tizard I. R., Jones S. W. The Microbiota Regulates Immunity and Immunologic Diseases in Dogs and Cats. Vet. Clin. North Am: Small An. Pract. 48 (2) (2018) 307-322. [17] Laflamme D., Gunn-Moore D., Nutrition of Aging Cats. Vet. Clin. Small Anim. 44 (2014) 761–774. [18] Taurine: Nutritional Value and Mechanisms of Action Editors: Lombardini, John B., Schaffer, Stephen W., Azuma, Junichi (Eds.) Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 315 (1992). [19] Bioaoerge V., Pion P., Lewis J, Morris J. G.,J.Dietary Management of Idiopathic Feline Hepatic Lipidosis with a Liquid Diet Supplemented with Citrulline and Choline. Am. Inst. Nutr.. J. Nutr. 121 (1991) S155-S156.