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Urinary indican in healthy Indian subjects
Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
|October 1, 1977
Summary
This study found a significant link between Indican excretion levels and the total bacterial count in the jejunum of normal subjects. Higher Indican levels correlated with increased bacterial presence, suggesting a potential biomarker for gut microbiota.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Microbiology
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Indican, a metabolite of tryptophan, is excreted in urine.
- Jejunal bacterial counts are used to assess small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
- Normal jejunal microbiota composition and its relation to urinary Indican are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between urinary Indican excretion and jejunal bacterial counts in healthy individuals.
- To determine if Indican excretion can serve as a non-invasive marker for jejunal bacterial load.
Main Methods:
- Collected jejunal aspirates from 40 healthy subjects for bacterial culture.
- Quantified bacterial counts per milliliter in jejunal aspirates.
- Measured 24-hour urinary Indican excretion levels for each subject.
- Analyzed the correlation between Indican excretion and total jejunal bacterial counts.
Main Results:
- The mean Indican excretion was 40.45 mg/24 hrs.
- The mean jejunal bacterial count was 1.96 x 10^3 +/- 5.39 x 10^3 organisms/ml.
- 40% of jejunal aspirates were sterile, and coliform organisms were found in only 16.6%.
- A statistically significant positive correlation (P < .01) was observed between Indican excretion and total jejunal bacterial count.
Conclusions:
- Urinary Indican excretion is significantly correlated with the total bacterial count in the human jejunum.
- Indican may serve as a potential indicator of bacterial presence in the small intestine.
- Further research is warranted to explore Indican's utility in diagnosing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.