Intestinal absorption of sugars in hypoinsulinism
Bandyopadhyay, S.; Mukherjee, A.K.; Banerjee, S.
Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 19(10): 926-929
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5189 PMID: 7309140 Document Number: 177882
Intestinal absorption of sugars was studied in animals under urethane anesthesia by perfusion of the whole of the small intestine with sugar solutions for 30 min to 1 h and also after injection of the sugar solutions into intestinal loop produced by putting ligatures below the pylorus and above the cecum. In normal rats the absorption followed the following order: galactose > glucose > fructose. In rabbits and guinea pigs the rates of absorption of the different sugars did not differ. The absorption of sugars is species specific and the classical observations of others on sugar absorption in rats may not be applicable to other species of animals. Intestinal absorption of glucose did not increase in alloxan-diabetic rats or rabbits, contrary to the claims of other workers. Guinea pigs in which hypoinsulinism was produced by feeding a scorbutigenic diet for 21 days also did not show any significant change in the intestinal absorption of glucose, fructose or galactose. Insulin may not be involved in the intestinal absorption of glucose or other sugars having a similar configuration.