Abstract
Abstract The effect of neomycin sulphate in an oral dose of 1.5 g daily was studied in germ‐free piglets given a preliminary intravenous dose of labelled cholesterol. Combined urinary and faecal pools were assayed for radioactivity and the faecal excretion of neutral sterols and bile acids was calculated by the isotopic balance method. During the administration of neomycin there was only a slight and transient decrease in serum cholesterol, but the faecal excretion of endogenous neutral sterols was more than doubled. There was also a significant rise in faecal fat excretion, although bile acid excretion remained unchanged. Examination of the morphology of the small intestinal mucosa by both light and electron microscopy showed no evidence that neomycin had caused any damage to either absorptive or crypt cells. The only abnormality found was the presence in macrophages in the lamina propria of dense inclusions which exhibited a paracrystalline structure at very high magnification; they were not found in control germ‐free animals. These findings demonstrate that neomycin exerts an effect on lipid metabolism which is independent of its antibiotic actions and which is not secondary to mucosal damage.
Published Version
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