The Effect of Galactose on Phenylalanine Transport and its Damage to the Mucosal Cells of the Rat Intestine

Abstract

Competition between an amino acid and a simple sugar was studied in fragments of intestine incubated in vitro. Galactose was shown to damage mucosal cells. Galactose increased the release of phenylalanine from intestine preincubated with this amino acid. Phenylalanine decreased the uptake of galactose in the intestine. It also stimulated the release of galactose from intestine preincubated with this monosaccharide. A common transport mechanism probably exists in the intestine for a sugar (galactose) and an amino acid (phenylalanine).