Abstract
Acetate, propionate, andn-butyrate are the major short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) anions in the gastrointestinal tract of animal and man, accounting for 90% of total SCFA in stool water. Their absorption from the human ileum was investigated in 8 volunteer subjects by the triple-lumen perfusion technique. Each test solution contained one of the SCFAs at a concentration of 0–100 mM; sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate concentrations were kept constant, as were pH and osmolality. Absorption of each SCFA was found to be rate-limited with an apparentK ′ m between 22 and 27 mM and a calculatedV max between 0.54 and 0.82 mmol/hr cm. Water, sodium, and chloride transport were not affected by substantial rates of SCFA absorption. Rather, significant stimulation of calculated bicarbonate secretion and a rise in intraluminal pH were consistently observed. The results are compatible with either of two mechanisms for SCFA absorption: an anion exchange between bicarbonate (or hydroxyl) and SCFA ions, or protonation of the SCFA anion at the mucosal surface followed by simple diffusion of nonionized SCFA into the absorbing cell.
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This work was supported, in part, by a grant (RR-58) from the General Clinical Research Center Program of the Division of Research Resources and by a research grant (AM-12985-05) from the National Institutes of Arthritis, Metabolic and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Schmitt was supported by a Special Post Doctoral Research Fellowship Award (5-F03-AM53883) from the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolic and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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Schmitt, M.G., Soergel, K.H., Wood, C.M. et al. Absorption of short-chain fatty acids from the human ileum. Digest Dis Sci 22, 340–347 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01072192
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01072192