Comparative assessment of D-xylose absorption between small intestine and large intestine

The present study aimed to evaluate the absorption of D-xylose, a passively absorbed five-carbon monosaccharide, from the large intestine compared with the small intestine, in order to explore the absorption potential of the large intestine. D-Xylose absorption was evaluated in the intestinal loop and everted sacs in rats and comparisons were made between small intestine (mid-gut) and large intestine (colon). The absorption of D-xylose was smaller, by an order of magnitude or more, after administration into the loop of large intestine than after administration into that of small intestine, based on appearance in plasma and disappearance from the intestinal loop. D-Xylose absorption was practically insignificant (nominal 4.9%) in 60 min in the large intestine, whereas it was moderate (57.0%) in the small intestine. Consistently, the uptake of D-xylose in everted sacs was about 20 times larger in the small intestine than in the large intestine. Thus the passive membrane permeability of D-xylose was demonstrated to be negligible in the large intestine, even though the small intestine was fairly permeable. This result helps rationalize kinetic modelling strategies assuming the small intestine as the sole absorption site for gastrointestinal absorption in-vivo. It also suggests that hydrophilic drugs with molecular size similar to or larger than D-xylose may not be good candidates for colonic drug delivery by controlled release.