Intestinal absorption of rutin in free and conjugated forms

Quercetin is one of the most common flavonoids in nature, occurring mainly in glycosidic forms such as rutin. Rutin has been reported to exert numerous biochemical and pharmacological activities, though information about its absorption and metabolism is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate intestinal handling of luminally administered rutin in an isolated preparation of luminally and vascularly perfused rat small intestine. A synthetic perfusate free from blood components was used as vascular medium, with a perfluorocarbon as oxygen carrier. Luminal media consisted of a bicarbonate-buffered sodium chloride solution spiked with rutin (40.5 +/- 1.8 micromol/L). Viability was maintained during the entire perfusion; no differences between rutin and control perfusions for perfusion pressure, lactate-pyruvate ratio, oxygen uptake, and acid-base homeostasis were observed. About 10% of the administered rutin appeared at the vascular side, chiefly as free rutin (5.6%), but some rutin sulfate (2.5%) and glucuronide (2.0%) were also detected. The conjugates were preferentially absorbed to the vascular side, while only traces of the glucuronide (0.2%) were found in the luminal perfusate. Minute amounts of the rutin administered were located in the intestinal tissue (1.1%) in the form of unchanged rutin and its glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. The model used serves as a valuable tool for understanding intestinal handling of the bioactive flavonol glycoside rutin, and the obtained results confirm uptake of rutin in the rat small intestine.