Accumulation of Endogenous Carbohydrate-Containing Compounds in the Cecum of the Germfree Rat ∗

Abstract

Summary

Germfree rats died after 4–6 days on a starvation regimen. As the animals were losing weight the cecum was increasing in size. It was unlikely that after 4 days of starvation any dietary material would still be present in the cecum. Therefore, the protein and carbohydrate found were presumably entirely of endogenous origin. On a diet containing glucose as the sole carbohydrate, glucose accounted for less than 1% of the cecal carbohydrates further indicating the endogenous origin of these compounds. Acid hydrolysis of the ethanol precipitable fraction yielded neutral sugars characteristic of glycoproteins, i.e., fucose, galactose, and man-nose. The accumulation of glycoproteins in the cecum implied that their degradation and absorption in the small intestine was impaired in the germfree rat.