Handling of glycerides of acetic acid by rat small intestine in vitro.

1. When mono-, di- and triacetins are incubated with sacs of rat everted intestine, they enter the epithelial cells and are hydrolysed to free glycerol and acetic acid.2. The rate-limiting step in the process is the entry of glyceride into the epithelial cell.3. The three acetins enter the epithelial cell at the same rate, and the mechanism of this remains unknown.4. The acetate released appears in higher concentrations on the serosal side, and the relation of this to the mechanism for transfer of volatile fatty acids is discussed.5. It is not necessary to postulate a special mechanism for entry of volatile fatty acids into the cell.