Abstract

Intestinal folate absorption was assessed in six normal subjects and in four patients with coeliac sprue who were studied before and after treatment by dietary gluten exclusion. Comparisons were made of the luminal disappearance from the perfused jejunum of 3H-pteroylmonoglutamate and pteroyl 14C-glutamylhexaglutamate, and of the 48-hour urinary recovery of each isotope after perfusion and a tissue saturating dose of folic acid. The labelled urinary folates consisted of folic acid, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. In each group urinary recovery of 3H was significantly greater than that of 14C, confirming the evidence from jejunal perfusion that the availability of monoglutamyl folate is greater than that of polyglutamyl folate. According to the urinary recovery data, both folates were poorly absorbed in untreated coeliac sprue, but were normally absorbed after treatment. Assuming uniform displacement of the absorbed labelled folates by the parenteral flushing dose, the finding of greater urinary isotope recovery than of luminal folate disappearance from the perfused proximal jejunal segment suggests an adaptation of the distal small bowel for folate absorption in coeliac sprue.