Pharmacokinetics in dogs after oral administration of two different forms of ascorbic acid.

The dog is able to synthesise ascorbic acid (AA), but is frequently given the vitamin in an attempt to improve health and performance. The pharmacokinetics of AA in this species, however, are not well studied. Using a selective analytical method and careful stability control, the pharmacokinetics of orally given AA was studied in 20 dogs, at two dosage levels (15 and 50 mg kg(-1)) and with two forms of supplement [crystalline AA and the vitamin C product Ester-C(Inter-Cal Corp., Prescott, AZ, USA)]. After oral administration, a rapid increase was found in the plasma level of AA, indicating a possible intestinal active transport mechanism in this species. The obtained C(max)and AUC values were found to increase in a non-linear fashion when the dose of AA was increased. The pharmacokinetic modeling of the elimination of AA was made difficult by a pronounced secondary peak appearing after about 9 hours. The comparison of crystalline AA and Ester-C did not indicate any significant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between the two preparations of the vitamin.

Plasma ascorbic acid concentrations in healthy dogs.

Using a highly sensitive and selective analytical method and careful stability control, plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid were determined in German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers and Siberian Huskies, a total 99 animals. Mean concentration was 35.9 micromol l(-1)(range 18.2-50.7), and no significant variation was observed neither between breeds nor between females and males. These and previous reported data on plasma ascorbic acid levels in dogs are discussed in the light of methodological aspects.

Extensive metabolism of diltiazem and P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux of desacetyl-diltiazem (M1) by rat jejunum in vitro.

The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate both the intestinal metabolism and transport of diltiazem (DTZ) and its major metabolites in rat jejunum. Metabolism experiments were performed with everted sacs, whereas sheets mounted in a symmetrical twin chamber system were used in transport studies. DTZ was rapidly desacetylated by the rat jejunum to the principle metabolite desacetyl-diltiazem (M1). In addition, minor amounts of N-demethyl-diltiazem and desacetyl-N-demethyl-diltiazem were formed. Due to the rapid desacetylation, it proved difficult to study the transport of DTZ in this model. However, the primary metabolite M1 was shown to be subjected to P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated efflux. The flux rate of M1 was 6- to 7-fold higher from the serosal to the luminal compartment than in the opposite direction. Both coadministration of verapamil and Pgp monoclonal antibody dose dependently increased luminal-to-serosal flux and decreased serosal-to-luminal flux. In conclusion, rat jejunum metabolizes DTZ extensively in vitro, and the major primary metabolite M1 is subjected to Pgp-mediated efflux.

Plasma ascorbic acid in patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with renal disease receiving dialysis therapy are susceptible to a deficit in ascorbic acid (AA) caused by loss during dialysis and a restricted dietary AA intake. In previous studies, in such patients, the methods generally used for AA determination are non-specific and insensitive, and control of the easily deteriorating AA in the samples is often disregarded. The purpose of this work was to study the AA plasma levels and dialyser clearances as well as the kinetics of administered AA in a group of dialysis patients, using selective and sensitive methodology and a procedure preserving the AA sample content. METHODS: Using an analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection, we have examined the dialyser clearance of AA as well as the pre- and post dialysis plasma levels of AA in patients on chronic dialysis therapy. The plasma AA levels were further measured after single and multiple dose supplementation of 200 mg p.o. per day. RESULTS: The majority of the patients (16 of 19) had pre-dialysis plasma levels below the normal range. The dialyser clearance of AA was 212 ml/min (median value). Following dialysis, the plasma AA concentrations were reduced by a median of 33%. AA supplementation significantly increased these levels; however, they dropped soon after supplementation was stopped. AA in uraemic whole blood and plasma was, on average, less stable than in samples from healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: This study, using selective analytical method with adequate stability control, confirms that AA is readily removed by conventional haemodialysis membranes. Patients on chronic haemodialysis have remarkably low plasma AA levels unless given AA supplementation.

Hydrogen bond formation as basis for radical scavenging activity: a structure-activity study of C-methylated dihydrochalcones from Myrica gale and structurally related acetophenones.

A naturally occurring flavonoid, myrigalone B (2',6' -dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethyl-dihydrochal-cone) is an effective antioxidant and scavenger of the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical, while the closely related angoletin (2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethyl-dihydrochalcone) is inactive. From NMR spectra, it appears that myrigalone B has a time-averaged conformation in which the substituted aromatic ring is orthogonal to the carbonyl group, while angoletin is coplanar. By donating a phenolic hydrogen in radical scavenging, myrigalone B will lose its symmetrical structure and may thereby change to a coplanar conformation forming a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond between the remaining phenolic hydrogen and the carbonyl group. The energy gain entailed would then appear to be a driving force for the radical scavenging by myrigalone B. Angoletin, being coplanar, lacks this driving force. To verify this hypothesis, the conformation and radical scavenging activity of a series of phenolic acetophenones were studied. All substances that had an orthogonal conformation and could form intramolecular hydrogen bonds by loss of a phenolic hydrogen were DPPH scavengers, while compounds lacking these properties were inactive. From this, we propose that formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds may lead to radical scavenging activity.

Inhibition of lipid peroxidation in low-density lipoprotein by the flavonoid myrigalone B and ascorbic acid.

Lipid peroxidation in human LDL (0.05 mg protein/mL) incubated with Cu(2+)-ions (5 microM) in vitro was dose-dependently inhibited by the flavonoid myrigalone B (MyB) and by ascorbic acid. MyB at 6 microM increased the oxidation lag time by 135 +/- 24 min (approximately 5-fold compared to controls) and reduced the maximum oxidation rate by 46 +/- 5%. Ascorbic acid, at 9 microM, increased the lag time by 179 +/- 29 min (6-fold compared to controls) but did not affect the maximum oxidation rate. The increase in lag time induced by MyB was enhanced in the presence of ascorbic acid. Their effects were additive, except when both were present at the highest concentration tested, when a significant potentiation, giving an increase in lag time of approximately 2 hr more than the sum of separate effects, occurred. Concentration-time curves for MyB in the absence and presence of ascorbic acid showed that the vitamin protected MyB against deterioration during incubation, and indicated that the net consumption of MyB in the oxidation process was reduced. No differences were observed when ordinary ascorbic acid and Ester-C, a commercial vitamin C product, were compared. In conclusion, MyB and ascorbic acid seem to interact in a way that further improves the antioxidant status of the LDL particle relative to each substance separately.

Inhibition of low density lipoprotein oxidation by myrigalone B, a naturally occurring flavonoid.

The influence of myrigalone B, a flavonoid from the fruit exudate of Myrica gale L. on Cu(2+)-induced oxidation of low density lipoprotein from cholesterol fed rabbits was investigated. Myrigalone B was an effective antioxidant, as shown by its ability to dose-dependently prolong the lag time for the formation of conjugated dienes. A 100% increase in lag time corresponds to a myrigalone B concentration of 1.4 +/- 1.1 microM. For alpha-tocopherol, used as a reference, this effect corresponds to a concentration of 1.9 +/- 1.2 microM. Myrigalone B also dose-dependently reduced the maximum rate of formation of conjugated dienes, 1.4 microM causing a 15 +/- 5% reduction, but it had no influence on the maximal amount of conjugated dienes formed.

C-methylated dihydrochalcones from Myrica gale L: effects as antioxidants and as scavengers of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl.

A number of isomeric or chemically closely related C-methylated dihydrochalcones, which is a rare substance class, has been isolated from the fruit exudate of Myrica gale L. and subjected to the following tests: 1) inhibition of lipid peroxidation induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide or bromotrichloromethane in isolated rat hepatocytes, 2) inhibition of peroxidation induced by Fe2+ ions in a cell free system with linolenic acid as substrate, 3) scavenging activity against the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical, and 4) inhibition of enzymatic lipid peroxidation in linoleic acid by soybean 15-lipoxy-genase. One of the compounds (myrigalone B = MyB; 2',6'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethyldihydrochalcone) showed good activity in all tests whereas the others were inactive or slightly active, except that myrigalone A (MyA; 3-(1-oxo-3-phenylpropyl)-1,1,5-trimethylcyclohexane-2,4,6-trione)) like its synthetic analogue MyA* (the polar part of MyA) was nearly as active as MyB in 4). The antioxidant properties of MyB are probably due to its radical scavenging activity and may be related to its conformation, which differs from that of the other compounds.

Antioxidant activity of fruit exudate and C-methylated dihydrochalcones from Myrica gale.

Antioxidant and radical scavenging effects were studied of a diethyl ether extract of the fruit exudate of Myrica gale L., and of C-methylated dihydrochalcones isolated from it. Isolated hepatocytes and liver mitochondria from the rat were incubated with tertbutyl hydroperoxide, and lipid peroxidation measured by the yield of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. The main antioxidant of the extract, myrigalone B (MyB), inhibited lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes with an IC50 value of 23 +/- 1 microM, whereas in mitochondria the value was 5.2 +/- 0.1 microM. The fruit extract itself inhibited peroxidation in hepatocytes with an IC50 value of 7.0 +/- 0.2 microM calculated according to its MyB content, and in mitochondria with an IC50 of 1.7 +/- 0.1 microM. Other myrigalones were considerably less active or inactive as antioxidants. The IC50 of promethazine, an established inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, was 3.8 +/- 0.4 microM in mitochondria./ Both MyB and the fruit extract caused scavenging of the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical with IC50 values of 32 +/- 1 microM and 14 +/- 1 microM (as MyB), respectively. Peroxidation in linoleic acid catalyzed by soybean 15-lipoxygenase was inhibited by MyB (IC50 = 23 +/- 1 microM calculated as MyB; corresponding to an extract concentration of 71 +/- 3 microgram(s)/ml). However, the extract content of myrigalone A, itself a fairly potent inhibitor of 15-lipoxygenase, may contribute significantly to the latter effect.

A note on the complex metabolism of danthron infused into the rat.

Danthron infused intravenously in rats shows a complex dose-dependent pattern of metabolism and excretion. The metabolites, particularly the more polar ones, are in general excreted predominantly in bile, to a lesser extent in urine. They can be separated as metabolite groups according to polarity and molecular size on a Sephadex LH 20 column. The present paper describes a further study within a bile-derived metabolite group, which proved to be particularly heterogeneous. It contained more than a dozen metabolites, which were conjugates of four different aglycons including the parent danthron. 1H NMR spectral data for danthron monosulfate and monoglucuronide are also presented.

Antioxidant and radical scavenging effects of anthraquinones and anthrones.

The activity of seven anthraquinones and four anthrones against nonenzymatic and enzymatic lipid peroxidation in vitro and their ability to scavenge free radicals have been studied. In nonenzymatic peroxidation in rat hepatocytes induced by t-butyl hydroperoxide, dithranol and anthrone were the strongest antioxidants, having IC50 values of 8 +/- 1 and 24 +/- 5 mumol/l, respectively. Rhein (IC50 64 +/- 2 mumol/l) and aloe-emodin (IC50 65 +/- 3 mumol/l) showed the highest inhibitory activity against peroxidation of linoleic acid catalyzed by soybean 15-lipoxygenase. Anthrone (IC50 62 +/- 2 mumol/l), dithranol (IC50 72 +/- 1 mumol/l) and rhein anthrone (IC50 76 +/- 6 mumol/l) were the most effective radical scavengers of the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical. The antioxidant activities in hepatocytes and the radical scavenging activities were correlated, whereas the inhibition of enzymatic lipid peroxidation showed no correlation with the two other effects.

Compartmentation of intestinal drug sulphoconjugation. Incorporation of luminal and contraluminal [35S]sulphate into 1-naphthol by the isolated mucosa of guinea pig jejunum and colon.

Compartmentation of 1-naphthol metabolism was inferred from the metabolite pattern and distribution in the isolated mucosa of guinea pig intestine mounted in a flux chamber (Sund and Lauterbach, Arch Pharmacol Toxicol 58: 74-83, 1986). To verify the existence of these compartments the dependence of [35S]sulphate incorporation into 1-naphthol sulphate on the side of administration of 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate was determined. Isolated mucosae were pre-equilibrated with [35S]-sulphate (5 x 10(6) cpm/mumol, 1 mM) for 30 min and subsequently incubated for 15 min with 50 microM 1-naphthol. The three 1-naphthol sulphate fractions (luminal side, blood side and tissue) were assayed by HPLC and liquid scintillation counting; their specific activity was calculated as percentage of the specific activity of the inorganic sulphate administered. 1-Naphthol glucuronide was also measured. In jejunal experiments: after luminal administration of 1-naphthol, 1-naphthol sulphate appeared almost exclusively in the luminal solution; its specific activity approached 70% and 3%, when [35S]sulphate was added to the luminal and blood side, respectively. After introducing 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate on the blood side, a high and similar specific activity of 50-60% was observed in all three 1-naphthol sulphate fractions (luminal and blood side, tissue) though adding [35S]sulphate to the lumen side decreased the specific activity to 10-20%. In experiments on colonic mucosa: a specific activity both of luminal and blood side 1-naphthol sulphate of more than 50% was observed with blood side [35S]sulphate irrespective of the side of 1-naphthol administration. When [35S]sulphate was placed on the luminal side the specific activity of blood side 1-naphthol sulphate dropped to only 3%, and that of luminal 1-naphthol sulphate ranged between 6% and 20%. Supplementary experiments in which mucosae were exposed to 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate for 45 min without preincubation showed a tendency to decrease the lumen: blood distribution ratio of 1-naphthol sulphate. However, the general pattern of 1-naphthol sulphate specific activity remained unchanged. The experiments provide further evidence that the jejunal conjugation of phenolic drugs is being performed in two major compartments, which are accessible from the lumen ("luminal compartment") and blood ("systemic compartment") side. The luminal compartment seems practically inaccessible to blood side sulphate as is the systemic compartment for luminal 1-naphthol. In the colonic mucosa, a major "systemic compartment" receiving its sulphate from the blood side is the site for most of the events, but a minor "luminal compartment" seems to be involved as well.

Enzyme changes in remodelling epithelial cells: a histochemical study of the rat jejunum in vivo during and following exposure to deoxycholic acid.

Loops of rat jejunum were exposed in vivo to different concentrations of deoxycholic acid (DOC; 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mM). Following a 30 min exposure period, DOC was washed out of the loops and the intestines were allowed to recover for 15 or 150 min. Frozen tissue for enzyme histochemistry was collected during exposure and following the recovery periods. As shown previously, exposure to DOC caused a dose-dependent loss of epithelial cells at the villous tips and denudation of the lamina propria. Flattened epithelial cells bordering the denuded areas were, however, responsible for a rapid restoration of epithelial continuity, which was completed within 15 min. In the present study, these flattened cells showed normal reactivity for non-specific esterase and succinate dehydrogenase. In contrast, following a prolonged recovery period (150 min), a subpopulation of enterocytes at the villous tips that otherwise appeared normal showed decreased reactivity for brush border enzymes and non-specific esterase, and a positive reaction for mucin. A shutdown in the synthesis of cytoplasmic enzymes and redistribution of cell surface enzymes could be responsible for these late occurring enzyme changes, that were consistently observed after 150 min of recovery from DOC at 20 mM. Alternatively, retention of goblet cells and/or a modification in enzyme synthesis may explain the presence of mucin that was demonstrated in the epithelial cells which had low enzyme reactivity.

2-Naphthol metabolism and metabolite transport in the isolated guinea pig mucosa: further evidence for compartmentation of intestinal drug metabolism.

As an extension of a previous study on the metabolism of 14C-1-naphthol (1-N) by the isolated guinea pig mucosa (Sund & Lauterbach 1986), the isomeric compound 2-naphthol (2-N, 50-130 nmol/ml) has now been examined. 14C-Labelled drug was added to the luminal or contraluminal fluid bathing the two sides of jejunal or colonic mucosal sheets in a symmetrical set up. After aerobic incubation for 45 min. at 37 degrees, the fluid compartments and the tissue were analysed for parent drug and metabolites. Like 1-N 2-N was transformed into its sulphate and glucuronide. In the jejunum, 2-N was more extensively sulphated than 1-N, whereas in the colon the metabolite profiles (sulphate:glucuronide ratio) of the two isomers were similar. Generally, the metabolism rate of 2-N, its metabolite profile and metabolite transport pattern (lumen: blood distribution ratio) as well as the tissue accumulation of parent drug and metabolites, depended on the side of drug administration and on the tissue studied. Thus, changing the drug administration had a pronounced impact on the jejunal metabolism and transport, but caused only minor effects in the colon. In summary, this study emphasizes that drug metabolism and metabolite transport differ in the small and large intestine. The data further support the hypothesis that jejunal drug metabolism takes place in two compartments, of which the most active one is accessible from the lumen side and the other from the blood side. The possibility that colonic drug metabolism may also involve compartmentation should be considered although the present study provided very little evidence for this.

Alterations of ultrastructure and of cytoplasmic filaments in remodelling rat jejunal epithelial cells during recovery from deoxycholate.

Structural features associated with reversibility of lesions induced by deoxycholic acid (DOC) were studied by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence techniques. Tied jejunal loops were incubated in vivo with 2.5-20 mmol/l DOC in isotonic solution. Immediately after this treatment, or after a recovery period of 15 or 150 minutes following washout of the bile acid, the loops were excised and processed. DOC produced epithelial lesions whose severity and reversibility were concentration-dependent. Ultrastructural features associated with the reversibility of the lesions were particularly apparent in specimens exposed to 10-20 mmol/l DOC. These features included cell flattening with the formation of thin, veil-like structures into the eroded area by cells at the edges of the erosions. Immunofluorescence studies showed a redistribution of actin and cytokeratin filaments to the margins and leading edges of the flattened cells. It is suggested that cell flattening and migration are responsible for the rapid morphological recovery of the injured epithelium. Actin and cytokeratin appear to be instrumental in the remodelling and migration.

Morphological and functional recovery following exposure to deoxycholic acid. A study in the rat small intestine in vivo.

Whereas many studies deal with teh deleterious effects of unconjugated deoxycholic acid on epithelial morphology, few are concerned with the reversibility of these effects, the subject of the present study. Tied jejunal loops in the rat were incubated for 30 minutes with deoxycholic acid (2.5-20 mmol/litre) in isotonic solution. Immediately after this treatment, or after a subsequent recovery period of 15 or 150 minutes following wash out of the bile acid, the loops were excised, fixed and examined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Deoxycholic acid produced epithelial lesions whose severity and reversibility depended on the concentration applied. However, even the severely affected epithelium obtained by treatment at 10-20 mmol/litre was reverted to normal within 150 minutes, and a substantial normalisation was observed already after 15 minutes. An exception to this rapid restoration of epithelial morphology and integrity was noted in villi which had suffered necrosis of lamina propria. The revertion of epithelial pathology was paralleled with a normalisation of glucose absorption, of the potassium ion and protein content of the loop fluid, and of the paracellular epithelial permeability as measured with 3-H-poly-ethylenglycol. Morphometry showed that deoxycholic acid caused villous atrophy without affectin the crypt length. The extent and reversibility of this atrophy depended on dose and recovery time as above. It is suggested that the remarkably fast morphological restitution proceeds mainly by process involving cellular remodelling and migration.

Handling of psilocybin and psilocin by everted sacs of rat jejunum and colon.

Psilocybin and psilocin at luminal concentrations of about 20 nmol/ml were incubated aerobically with everted sacs from rat jejunum and colon. When incubation was terminated, samples of the lumen and blood side solutions and of the intestinal tissue were analyzed for parent drug and metabolites by HPLC using a multidetector system. Both sacs caused hydrolysis of psilocybin to psilocin, but the rate was much faster in the jejunum than in the colon. Tissue uptake of intact psilocybin was negligible or absent, and no transfer to the contraside of the parent drug could be demonstrated. In contrast, psilocin, whether formed by hydrolysis or added as a substrate, was well taken up by both intestinal segments and transferred to the blood side. In the colonic psilocybin experiments, this uptake and transfer was limited by a low hydrolytic rate. The results indicate that psilocybin under in vivo conditions is absorbed predominantly as psilocin. No further metabolism of either drug was observed, as opposed to the complex metabolism pattern that has been reported for serotonin, a close chemical relative to psilocin.

Anthraquinone laxatives: metabolism and transport of danthron and rhein in the rat small and large intestine in vitro.

A previous in vitro study by Sund and Hillestad in 1982 showed that dihydroxy-diphenylmethane laxatives undergo intestinal metabolism, and suggested a regionally dependent transport asymmetry of gut glucuronides. The present study was initiated since such experiments on anthraquinone diphenols are lacking. Everted sacs of rat jejunum and stripped colon were filled with Krebs-Henseleit solution (K-H) on the serosal (BL) side, and bathed at the mucosal (LU) side with K-H containing either danthron (3-4 nmol/ml) or rhein (10 nmol/ml). After 60 min incubation at 37 degrees C, LU and BL solutions and gut tissue were analysed for parent diphenol and metabolites by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. Reference metabolites were isolated and purified from urine and bile of rats infused with danthron or rhein. The studies showed: (1) only small amounts of unchanged drug were present on the contraluminal side; (2) in both tissues, danthron was transformed into its monoglucuronide (G) and monosulphate (S); the ratio G:S was 6-8:1 in jejunum, and even greater in colon; (3) in jejunum, G and S were mainly secreted (LU:BL distribution ratios greater than 10:1); (4) in the colon, however, the main G fraction was absorbed (BL:LU ratios of 3:1), whereas a slight net secretion of S seemed to take place; (5) residuals (%) in gut tissue were small; (6) rhein was more slowly taken up and metabolized, but seemed otherwise to behave as danthron. The results are in principle similar to those obtained by indirect conjugate assay in the study on diphenylmethanes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Studies on laxatives: biliary and urinary excretion in rats given danthron by intravenous infusion or gastric intubation.

Rats were infused with danthron (I) at doses of 0.48, 2.2 and 5.8 mumol/100 g body weight, or given 12 mumol/100 g with gastric tube. TLC of bile and urine demonstrated a number of metabolites, at both administration routes. These included I monosulphate (II) and -glucuronide (III), two other phase 2 metabolites which behaved as the corresponding diconjugates, and several phase 1 metabolites (IV) in conjugated form. IV as a group were estimated by photometry of hydrolysed samples, using I as a reference. Danthron conjugates as a group were determined in such samples by a specific method for I. Moreover, II and III were determined individually in unhydrolysed specimens. Following infusion, about 80% of the danthron conjugates in bile were excreted after 1 hour; the dose fractions found after 5 hours represented about 20%, 30%, and 40% at the low, intermediate and high dose level, respectively. The corresponding fractions in urine were 16%, 12% and 10%, giving rise to bile:urine excretion ratios of 1.3, 2.7 and 4.0, respectively. This change in excretion pattern was associated with changes in metabolite muster, which involved a decrease in the balance of IV:I conjugates, as well as an increase in III:II ratio. IV was more abundantly present in bile than in urine, and showed a more sustained excretion than the I conjugates. By intragastric administration, the cumulated excretion (bile + urine) of I conjugates were only 6%, 8% and 5% of dose, in three consecutive 6 hours' periods (0-6, 6-12 and 12-18 hours after dosing). The bile:urine excretion ratios seemed to decrease with time, as did the III:II ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1-Naphthol metabolism and metabolite transport in the small and large intestine. II: Effect of sulphate and phosphate ion omission, and of 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol in the isolated guinea pig mucosa.

A previous study (Sund & Lauterbach 1986) in the isolated guinea pig mucosa showed a complex pattern of 1-naphthol (I) metabolism and metabolite (glucuronide = II and sulphate = III) transport in relation to tissue studied (jejunum and colon) and administration side (lumen versus blood side). In the present paper aspects of I metabolism and II and III transport have been further studied. The experiments involved: Omission of inorganic sulphate in the incubation solution at one particular side or at both sides, to see if and how intestinal sulphoconjugation depended on side of sulphate ion entry, and if II and III efflux might be linked to sulphate ion influx. Similar omission experiments with inorganic phosphate, and Incubation in presence of 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (IV), a drug claimed to be a selective inhibitor of sulphoconjugation. The experiments showed: In the jejunum, sulphate ion caused a much stronger stimulation of III formation from the lumen than from the blood side, when I was added at the luminal side. In the colon, however, the sulphate ion was more effective on the blood side than on the lumen side, regardless of side at which I was added. More experiments are needed to clarify if conjugate efflux is affected by sulphate ion omission as well. Omission of inorganic phosphate did neither affect I metabolism nor II and III efflux. IV (present at both sides at once) had complex effects, involving inhibition of II and III synthesis as well as their efflux, and, in part, a change in their normal lumen: blood distribution pattern.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)