title: Interaction between diphenolic laxatives and intestinal bacteria in vitro.
abstract: The ability of the laxative diphenols desacetylbisacodyl, oxyphenisatin, and phenolphthalein to inhibit growth and cause leakage of potassium ion from microbial cells in vitro was studied with 25 aerobic and 25 anaerobic bacterial strains. None of the aerobes, but some of the anaerobes showed growth inhibition. Potassium release assayed by flame photometry was observed in strains which showed growth inhibition, but also in other strains including anaerobes and aerobes. The highest antibacterial activity among the diphenols was observed with phenolphthalein and the least with desacetylbisacodyl; this relationship as noted for both growth inhibition and potassium release. Enzymatic hydrolysis of picosulphate to the free diphenol desacetylbisacodyl carried out by three strains of anaerobic bacteria was indicated by high pressure liquid chromatography.
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001726:Bisacodyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D002400:Cathartics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D010114:Oxyphenisatin Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D010635:Phenolphthaleins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics; D010635:Phenolphthaleins; D001726:Bisacodyl; C001659:dihydroxydiphenyl-pyridyl methane; D011188:Potassium; D010114:Oxyphenisatin Acetate