Utilization of orally administered D-[14C]mannitol via fermentation by intestinal microbes in rats

To investigate the available energy of orally administered [(14)C]mannitol via intestinal microbes, [(14)C]mannitol (222 kBq, 105 mg) or [(14)C]glucose (222 kBq, 105 mg) was administered to conventional rats and antibiotics-treated rats whose intestinal microbes were depleted by drinking water containing antibiotics, respectively. The exhausted CO(2), feces and urine were then separately collected at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 h after administration of the test solution. In the conventional rats, 45% of administered radioactivity was recovered as (14)CO(2) in the administration of [(14)C]mannitol, while 57% of administered radioactivity was recovered as (14)CO(2) following the administration of [(14)C]glucose for 24 h. The time sequence for the (14)CO(2) excretion from [(14)C]mannitol was delayed as compared to [(14)C]glucose by about 4-6 h (p<0.05). However, when [(14)C]mannitol was orally administered to antibiotics-treated rats, only 3% of administered radioactivity was excreted as (14)CO(2) for 24 h. The total radioactivity of the gastrointestinal contents and feces for 24 h after administration was over 70%, much higher than those of the conventional rats (p<0.05). When a half dose (222 kBq, 52.5 mg) of [(14)C]mannitol was administered to conventional rats, the recovery as (14)CO(2) for 24 h (%) was significantly higher than that of a regular dose of [(14)C]mannitol (105 mg). When cold mannitol (105 mg) was orally administered to the antibiotics-treated rats, about 9% of intact mannitol was excreted in feces within 48 h after administration. However, no intact mannitol was detected in the conventional rats. These results demonstrate that more than 95% of mannitol administered orally is utilized via fermentation by intestinal microbes.