Evidence for carrier-mediated uptake and efflux of sugars at the serosal side of the rat intestinal mucosa in vitro.

A modification of the everted sac technique is described which allows several sacs to be prepared rapidly and simultaneously from the same segment of rat intestine. 2. A method has been developed for comparing the transport of two sugars by measuring changes in the ratios of their concentrations as they pass across the intestinal wall. 3. With this method significant differences were observed between the D-[3H]galactose and L-[14C]glucose ratios in the mucosal epithelium, the serosal tissue and the serosal compartment. These results indicate that both the efflux of galactose from the serosal side of the mucosal epithelium and the uptake of the sugar into the mucosa are carrier-mediated processes. 4. The mediated efflux of galactose at the serosal side of the epithelial layer is inhibited by the presence of phlorizin on the mucosal side and to some extent by any reduction in the mucosal Na+ concentration. Both of these treatments inhibited galactose uptake at the brush border. Serosal efflux of the sugar appeared to be saturated at high concentrations of D-galactose. 5. Pre-treatment of the sacs with mercuric chloride considerably reduced D-galactose uptake from the luminal side, but did not affect its efflux relative to L-glucose at the serosal side of the mucosal epithelium. 6. Carrier-mediated sugar uptake into the mucosal epithelium from the serosal side was also examined. The role of the bidirectional, carrier-mediated sugar transport processes at the serosal pole of the mucosal epithelial cell in transintestinal transport is discussed.