Background
Measurement of intestinal permeability is important in several diseases but currently several
Conclusions
Our data do not support the use of the widely used L/M ratio as an accurate estimate of intestinal permeability. Our data support the use of: the sucralose/lactulose (S/M) ratio to measure: small intestine permeability (first 5h); small and large intestine (first 12h), and total gut permeability (24h). This was also found to be true in a Parkinson's disease model.
Methods
Subjects drank a cocktail of sucrose, lactulose, mannitol and sucralose and these sugars were measured in the urine at 5, 12 and 24h with gas chromatography.
Results
Urinary mannitol exhibited significantly different kinetics than lactulose and sucralose which were similar to each other and varied little over the 24h. No permeability differences were observed for renal function, age, race, sex, or BMI. Conclusions: Our data do not support the use of the widely used L/M ratio as an accurate estimate of intestinal permeability. Our data support the use of: the sucralose/lactulose (S/M) ratio to measure: small intestine permeability (first 5h); small and large intestine (first 12h), and total gut permeability (24h). This was also found to be true in a Parkinson's disease model.