Ethyl alpha-D-glucoside was absorbed in small intestine and excreted in urine as intact form.
OBJECTIVE
Ethyl alpha-D-glucoside (alpha-EG) is a peculiar component in sake. We investigated how alpha-EG was absorbed, hydrolyzed, and excreted in urine when it was ingested orally by rats.


METHODS
Hydrolyzing activity for alpha-EG was determined by incubating it with crude enzyme solutions prepared from several rat organs, and absorption activity for alpha-EG was determined by incubating rat small intestinal everted sac in sodium or potassium Krebs-Ringer buffer that contained alpha-EG. alpha-EG solution was fed to rats, and urine volume and plasma alpha-EG, glucose and insulin and urinary alpha-EG were determined.


RESULTS
alpha-EG was hydrolyzed by crude enzyme solutions prepared from rat small intestinal mucosa and kidney, and these hydrolyzing activities were lower than those for maltose. alpha-EG absorbed into everted rat intestinal sacs in potassium Krebs-Ringer buffer reduced almost completely compared with that in sodium Krebs-Ringer buffer. When alpha-EG was ingested orally by rats, it was absorbed into the bloodstream and more than 60% was excreted in urine, and urine volume increased.


CONCLUSIONS
In rats, alpha-EG was absorbed in small intestine and excreted intact in urine without affecting blood glucose and insulin and thus was a diuretic, insulin-independent, and low-nutritive glucoside that could be safely applicable to food.
Mishima
Tomoyuki
T
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan. h6103007@guedu.cc.gifu-u.ac.jp
Hayakawa
Takashi
T
Ozeki
Kenji
K
Tsuge
Haruhito
H
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D005502:Food; D005960:Glucosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000652:urine*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000378:metabolism*; D008320:Maltose / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005960:Glucosides; D007328:Insulin; D008320:Maltose; C108400:ethyl glucoside