Allitol, D-
talitol and
L-iditol are
sugar alcohols that are rare in nature. Due to their previous rarity, little is known about the
laxative effects of these rare
sugar alcohols. Therefore, reliable data on the
laxative effect that these
sugar alcohols cause in experimental animals could help to evaluate the effectiveness of new
monosaccharide laxative drugs. To investigate the
laxative effect of rare
sugar alcohols, the study was designed to observe the
diarrhea that occurred after
oral administration of these
sugar alcohols in mice. Moreover, to investigate the influence on intestinal function of rare
sugar alcohols, the study was designed to examine small intestine transit and the
luminal water content. Results indicated that rare
sugar alcohols have a
laxative effect in mice.
Diarrhea started at a dose of 4.95 g/kg of rare
sugar alcohols. There was a statistically significant
laxative effect for D-
talitol and
L-iditol at a dose of 9.9 g/kg as compared to vehicle. Moreover, rare
sugar alcohols significantly increased the small intestinal transit and the
luminal water content of the small intestine and cecum in mice as compared to each vehicle. Overall,
L-iditol greatly changes the function of intestine. In conclusion, rare
sugar alcohols increase water content in small intestine and accelerate small intestine transit. These results support
laxative effect of rare
sugar alcohols. Therefore, rare
sugar alcohols may be useful as
monosaccharide laxatives and may be used to treat
constipation.