Intestinal sugar transport.
Carbohydrates are an important component of the diet. The carbohydrates that we ingest range from simple monosaccharides (glucose, fructose and galactose) to disaccharides (lactose, sucrose) to complex polysaccharides. Most carbohydrates are digested by salivary and pancreatic amylases, and are further broken down into monosaccharides by enzymes in the brush border membrane (BBM) of enterocytes. For example, lactase-phloridzin hydrolase and sucrase-isomaltase are two disaccharidases involved in the hydrolysis of nutritionally important disaccharides. Once monosaccharides are presented to the BBM, mature enterocytes expressing nutrient transporters transport the sugars into the enterocytes. This paper reviews the early studies that contributed to the development of a working model of intestinal sugar transport, and details the recent advances made in understanding the process by which sugars are absorbed in the intestine.
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, 5150 Dentistry Pharmacy Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N8, Canada. lad2@ualberta.ca
Laurie A
LA
Drozdowski
Alan B R
AB
Thomson
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051273:Glucose Transporter Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051296:Glucose Transporter Type 5 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000502:physiology*; D008871:Microvilli / Q000502:physiology; D051269:Sodium-Glucose Transporter 1 / Q000378:metabolism
D051273:Glucose Transporter Type 2; D051296:Glucose Transporter Type 5; D051269:Sodium-Glucose Transporter 1