title: A blood test for intestinal permeability and function: a new tool for the diagnosis of chronic intestinal disease in dogs.
abstract: We demonstrate that rhamnose, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, D-xylose and lactulose may be quantified accurately in blood by HPLC and pulsed amperometric detection, thus enabling studies of intestinal permeability and function to be carried out using plasma samples. Prior to HPLC, the endogenous glucose was enzymatically modified to gluconic acid and the protein precipitated. The precision of the quantification of the sugars in plasma (CV: 2.2-5.7%; 8.7-10.6% at very low concentrations) compared well with the quantification in urine. The results for groups of 8 dogs with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and 12 dogs with inflammatory bowel disease were shown to be significantly different from a group of 20 normal control dogs (P < 0.001), demonstrating the test's value as a diagnostic tool. The normal ranges in blood 2 h post oral administration were determined to be 0.05-0.17 for the lactulose/rhamnose ratio and 0.45-0.65 for the xylose/3-O-methylglucose ratio. This method may be employed advantageously when the collection of urine in intestinal permeability and function tests is difficult.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, UK.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Proud
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Rutgers
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Markwell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Batt
mesh_terms: D019325:3-O-Methylglucose / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000652:urine; D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004285:Dogs; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology*; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D007792:Lactulose / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000652:urine; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012210:Rhamnose / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000652:urine; D013997:Time Factors; D014994:Xylose / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D019325:3-O-Methylglucose; D007792:Lactulose; D014994:Xylose; D012210:Rhamnose