Abstract
Intestinal absorption of cyclocarbothiamine (CCT) was studied with the following results. (1) CCT was absorbed from the ligated segment of rat intestine far more rapidly than thiamine. (2) Metabolic change of CCT in the intestinal lumen was examined in different species of animals. The compound was stable in rats, whereas in rabbits and guinea pigs a part of CCT changed into thiamine in the intestinal tract. (3) CCT was not decomposed when incubated in a culture of thiaminase-producing intestinal bacteria, such as Bacillus thiaminolyticus and Bacillus aneurinolyticus. (4) Mesenteric venous blood was analysed for CCT and thiamine following injection of CCT into the ligated segment of rabbit intestine. When CCT was given in a small amount, only thiamine was detected in the blood. With the increase of dosage, however, CCT was detected unaltered together with thiamine. It was concluded that CCT was absorbed from the intestine as such and rapidly transformed into thiamine in the blood.
