Summary
Vibrio cholerae and certain strains of Escherichia coli produce heat-labile enterotoxins which play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the intestinal disease. Activated attapulgite, a heated magnesium aluminum silicate, was previously shown to prevent the toxic effects of endotoxin. The present study has revealed that this drug inhibits the toxic effects of cholera and E. coli enterotoxins in the intestinal loop of rabbits, when toxin and attapulgite are pre-incubated prior to injection. Up to 50 to 100 minimal effective doses are inhibited. Attapulgite is effective also when injected separately, albeit simultaneously, into the intestinal loops, but not when administered after the toxin. Since supernates of toxin-attapulgite mixtures are non-toxic, it is postulated that attapulgite acts by adsorption and that the attached enterotoxin is no longer toxic to the rabbit intestine. The previously reported effect of charcoal on V. cholerae enterotoxin, paralleling that of attapulgite, was confirmed. In contrast to the effects of these adsorbents on isolated toxin, both failed to prevent enterotoxicity in the rabbit model of an enterotoxin-producing strain of E. coli.
Zusammenfassung
Vibrio cholerae und bestimmte Stämme von Escherichia coli produzieren ein hitzeempfindliches Enterotoxin, das eine bedeutende Rolle in der Pathogenese der Darmerkrankungen spielt. Aktiviertes Attapulgit, ein erhitztes Magnesium-Aluminium-Silikat, inhibiert die toxische Wirkung des Endotoxins. Mindestens 100 Dosen von Cholera-Enterotoxin werden neutralisiert. Attapulgit ist ebenso wirksam, wenn es getrennt, jedoch simultan verabreicht wird, jedoch nicht, wenn es 10 Minuten nach dem Toxin injiziert wird. Da die Oberfläche der Toxin-Attapulgit-Mischung unschädlich ist, kann man annehmen, daß Attapulgit durch Adsorption wirkt und das adsorbierte Enterotoxin nicht mehr toxisch ist. Die bereits früher bekanntgegebene Wirkung von aktivierter Kohle auf das V. cholerae-Enterotoxin, welche mit der von Attapulgit parallel geht, wurde bestätigt. Im Gegensatz zu der Wirkung dieser adsorbierenden Drogen auf isoliertes Toxin waren beide unwirksam gegen einen Enterotoxin-produzierenden Stamm von E. coli in diesem Modell.
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Drucker, M.M., Goldhar, J., Ogra, P.L. et al. The effect of attapulgite and charcoal on enterotoxicity of vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli enterotoxins in rabbits. Infection 5, 211–213 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01640782
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01640782