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Citations to this article

Quantitation of countercurrent exchange during passive absorption from the dog small intestine: evidence for marked species differences in the efficiency of exchange.
J H Bond, … , D G Levitt, M D Levitt
J H Bond, … , D G Levitt, M D Levitt
Published February 1, 1977
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 1977;59(2):308-318. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI108642.
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Research Article Article has an altmetric score of 3

Quantitation of countercurrent exchange during passive absorption from the dog small intestine: evidence for marked species differences in the efficiency of exchange.

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Abstract

The present investigation was designed to quantitatively assess the possible influence of countercurrent exchange on passive absorption from the small intestine of the dog. Villus blood flow was measured with a modification of the microsphere method. Simultaneously, the absorption from the gut lumen of five diffusible gases (H2, He, CH4, 133Xe, and CO) was determined. Villus blood flow averaged 0.247 +/- 0.03 (SEM) ml/min per g. The observed absorption of H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe was only 16.2 +/- 1.8, 12.8 +/- 2.3, 12.0 +/- 1.8, and 15.8 +/- 1.4 %, respectively, of what this villus blood flow could carry away if it reached perfect equilibrium with the luminal gases. This low absorption rate could result from diffusion limitation to absorption or countercurrent exchange. The diffusive permeability of the barrier seperating the luminal gases and villus blood flow was assessed by measuring the absorption rate of CO. Because absorbed CO binds tightly to hemoglobin, it cannot exchange, and when present in low concentrations its uptake is entirely diffusion limited. Knowledge of the diffusion rate through tissue of the unbound gases relative to that of CO made it possible to calculate the degree to which each of the unbound gases should equilibrate with villus tip blood. The percentage equilibration between lumen and blood at the villus tip for H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe was 99.7, 99.9, 75.6, and 36.0% , respectively. Each of these values greatly exceeded the percentage equilibration of blood leaving the villus (calculated from the observed absorption rate and villus blood flow) and indicated an exchange of 83.8, 87.2, 84.1, and 56.1% of initially absorbed H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe. This result is in accord with theoretical calculations which suggest that countercurrent exchange should be exceedingly efficient in the dog. The striking effect of countercurrent exchange on passive absorption in the dog differs from our previous studies in the rabbit where no exchange was demonstrated. This marked species difference may result from anatomical differences in villus architecture. The dog has long, densely packed villi while the rabbit has broad, widely spaced villi. In the dog, only the villus tips may equilibrate with the lumen, hence a countercurrent gradient may be established in the villus. The entire villus of the rabbit may equilibrate with the lumen and no gradient for countercurrent exchange can therefore be established.

Authors

J H Bond, D G Levitt, M D Levitt

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Total citations by year

Year: 2023 2012 2011 2006 2004 1995 1990 1986 1984 1983 1981 1980 1979 1978 Total
Citations: 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 3 3 21
Citation information
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Citations to this article (21)

Title and authors Publication Year
Do extreme postprandial levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ammonia in the digestive tract equilibrate with the bloodstream in the freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)?
Jung EH, Brauner CJ, Wood CM
Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology 2023
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set
PR Kiela, JF Collins, FK Ghishan
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set 2012
The Physical Processes of Digestion
RG Lentle, PW Janssen
2011
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract
DJ Drucker
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract 2006
Evaluation of hepatosplanchnic circulation and intestinal oxygenation in dogs with a condition that mimicked septic shock induced by continuous infusion of a low dose of lipopolysaccharide
Y Sakaue, Y Nezu, S Komori, Y Hara, M Tagawa, R Ogawa
American Journal of Veterinary Research 2004
Differential in vivo and in vitro intestinal permeability to lactulose and mannitol in animals and humans: A hypothesis
PB Bijlsma, RA Peeters, JA Groot, PR Dekker, JA Taminiau, RV der Meer
Gastroenterology 1995
No evidence of a countercurrent multiplier in the intestinal villus of the dog
MN Eade, J Pybus, J Ready
Gastroenterology 1990
Comparison of Blood Flow Measurements by Hydrogen Gas Clearance and Laser Doppler Flowmetry in the Rat Duodenum
FW Leung
Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 1990
Countercurrent mechanisms in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract
M Jodal, O Lundgren
Gastroenterology 1986
Use of carbon monoxide to measure luminal stirring in the rat gut
MD Levitt, T Aufderheide, CA Fetzer, JH Bond, DG Levitt
Journal of Clinical Investigation 1984
Pharmacology of Intestinal Permeation II
TZ Csáky
1984
Intramural blood flow distribution in the small intestine of the cat studied by carbon monoxide uptake and85krypton elimination
S Redfors, H Sjövall, M Jodal, O Lundgren
Acta Physiologica Scandinavica 1983
Effects of Glucagon, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, and Vasopressin on Villous Micro circulation and Superior Mesenteric Artery Blood Flow of the Rat
C Holliger, M Radzyner, M Knoblauch
Gastroenterology 1983
Nutrition, Digestion, Metabolism
J Hardcastle, PT Hardcastle, PA Sanford
Nutrition, Digestion, Metabolism 1981
Rate-limiting barriers to intestinal drug absorption: a review
W L Hayton
Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics 1980
Villous tissue osmolality and intestinal transport of water and electrolytes
DA Hallbäck, M Jodal, A Sjöqvist, O Lundgren
Acta Physiologica Scandinavica 1979
Influence of blood flow on intestinal absorption of drugs and nutrients
D Wine
Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1979
Use of microspheres to measure small intestinal villus blood flow in the dog
JH Bond, MD Levitt
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism 1979
The pathophysiology of the intestinal countercurrent exchanger
O Lundgren, U Haglund
Life Sciences 1978
Evidence for the existence of a countercurrent exchanger in the small intestine in man
DA Hallbäck, L Hultén, M Jodal, J Lindhagen, O Lundgren
Gastroenterology 1978
Countercurrent Controversy
MD Levitt
Gastroenterology 1978

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