Effects of Salicylate on the Metabolic Activity of the Small Intestine of the Rat

¹ From the Department of Chemical Pathology, King's College Hospital Medical School, Denmark Hill, London, England

The effects of salicylate on the transfer of glucose, sorbose and fluid across the intestinal wall and on the respiration, glycolysis and histological structure of sacs of everted small intestine from the rat, incubated under aerobic conditions, have been studied. 5 mm salicylate was found to inhibit the active transport of glucose and fluid, to increase the passive diffusion of sorbose, to decrease the oxygen uptake, to cause structural damage to the columnar epithelium lining the villi of the intestine, but not to affect the aerobic glycolysis of the sacs. It was concluded that the salicylate interfered with normal respiratory processes and hence with the supply of energy necessary for active transport processes in the intestinal preparation. The increased permeability of the sacs to sorbose may have resulted from the epithelial damage caused by the salicylate.