The use of isolated cells to assess the contribution of the mucosal epithelium to the metabolism of the intestinal wall

Abstract

We have used suspensions of isolated cells to study the metabolism of the mucosal epithelium and to compare its activity with that of other tissues in the intestinal wall of guinea pig. Only 4% of the total glycolytic activity of the intestinal wall could be attributed to the mucosal epithelium. In contrast, about 76% of the activity was located in the intestinal muscle and the remaining 20% in the intervening tissue. Clearly the view that the major proportion of the glycolytic activity of the small intestine resides in the mucosal epithelium does not apply to the guinea pig. In the light of our results, it would be prudent to re-examine any conclusions about the distribution of metabolic activity throughout the gut wall if the supporting evidence has been drawn from experiments with mucosal homogenates.