The active transport of sugars by various preparations of hamster intestine

Abstract

The active transport of sugars by the small intestine of the golden hamster has been studied in vitro by means of the accumulation of sugar within the tissue against a concentration gradient. Techniques are described for preparing and using three types of intestinal preparation which exhibit characteristics of active transport similar to those of other in vitro preparations and of active absorption in vivo. One kind, in particular, which consists of small rings of everted intestine was shown to be highly reproducible and, therefore, useful for comparison of the rate and extent of active transport under various conditions. The influence of fasting on active sugar transport was studied and the results are discussed with respect to the source of energy for active transport. The variation in the rate of active transport along the length of the intestine was studied with glucose, galactose and 1,5-anhydro- D-glucitol and found to be similar for all three compounds.