Lactulose as an antiendotoxin in experimental colitis.
The efficacy of lactulose as an antiendotoxin was studied and the effect of lactulose or colistin on faecal flora was investigated in a hapten-induced rat model of colitis. Enteral administration of lactulose to rats with colitis was associated with a significant reduction in the systemic concentration of endotoxin (median (range) 5.4 (0-19.9) versus 23.7 (0-145.0) pg/ml in colitic rats treated with water; 4.6 (0-10.8) pg/ml in healthy animals). Enteral administration of colistin significantly reduced the faecal count of aerobic Gram-negative bacilli (median (range) 2.84 (1.40-8.43) versus 8.26 (4.50-10.40) log10 colony-forming units per g faeces after treatment with water) but not the faecal load of endotoxin. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from enteral treatment with lactulose to prevent systemic endotoxaemia and/or with colistin to modify enteric bacteria.
Gardiner
K R
KR
Department of Surgery, Queen's University of Belfast, UK.
Erwin
P J
PJ
Anderson
N H
NH
McCaigue
M D
MD
Halliday
M I
MI
Rowlands
B J
BJ
D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007792:Lactulose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D004731:Endotoxins; D007792:Lactulose