Simultaneous gas-chromatographic measurement of rhamnose, lactulose and sucrose and their application in the testing gastrointestinal permeability.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

As it is important to test gastric and intestinal permeability simultaneously in gastrointestinal disorders such as Celiac disease, we developed a gas-chromatographic (GC) method to estimate rhamnose (L-rh), lactulose (Lacl) and sucrose (Suc) in urine.

METHODS:

The method is based on the use of alditol acetate derivatives giving a lower number of GC peaks than reducing sugars do. Acetate derivatives are more stable and less expensive than GC silylates and keep the flame-detector cleaner. We checked the chemical stability of alditol acetates by verifying the reproducibility of the standard curve of a sugar derivative sample which had been stored for 2 months at -20 degrees C.

RESULTS:

The calibration proved linear over the range 0.1-1 microg of sugar injected. Analytical sugar recovery was 88%+/-19.4% (mean+/-S.D.) for rhamnose, 105%+/-7.4% for sucrose and 102%+/-2.4% for lactulose. Mean within-day precision (CV) was 7.7% for rhamnose, 5.7% for sucrose and 1.9% for lactulose, and between-day (CV) was 6.7% for rhamnose, 3.9% for sucrose and 1.6% for lactulose. The rhamnose, lactulose and sucrose as the lactulose/rhamnose ratio clearly differentiated 25 healthy controls from 36 patients with active gluten-sensitive enteropathy.

CONCLUSIONS:

A fast, reliable and cheap gas-chromatographic method is presented here to evaluate gastric and intestinal permeability.

• Authors: Cristiana Abazia, Renata Ferrara, Maria Michela Corsaro, Gaspare Barone, Pietro Coccoli, Gianpaolo Parrilli
• Journal: Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry (Clin Chim Acta) Vol. 338 Issue 1-2 Pg. 25-32 (Dec 2003) ISSN: 0009-8981 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 14637262 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Lactulose
• Sucrose
• Rhamnose

Topics

• Celiac Disease (diagnosis, physiopathology, urine)
• Chromatography, Gas
• Digestive System (metabolism, physiopathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Intestinal Absorption
• Lactulose (urine)
• Male
• Permeability
• Rhamnose (urine)
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Sucrose (urine)