Influence of the diet on the turnover of bile acids in germ-free and conventional rats

Abstract

1. [24-14C]cholic acid was given to conventional and germ-free rats and the faecal isotope excretion studied for 8 days. The turnover, pool size and daily excretion of cholic acid and its metabolites were calculated for rats on three different diets, i.e. a commercial type diet (pellets), a semi-synthetic diet without (D7) and with 20% cellulose (D7+cellulose). The transit time of the intestinal contents was evaluated by following the excretion of an orally administered dose of carmine.2. The amount of bile acids excreted was two to three times higher in both conventional and germ-free rats receiving pellets than in those receiving diet D7. This difference in bile acid excretion between animals receiving different diets cannot, therefore, be caused by an influence of the diet on the gastro-intestinal microflora. This effect of the commercial diet could not be due to a high fibre content, since an increase in the fibre content of the semi-synthetic diet D7 by the addition of 20% cellulose did not reproduce the effect obtained with the commercial diet.3. The difference observed in bile acid excretion between germ-free and conventional rats on diet D7 was mainly ascribed to the much longer transit time of intestinal contents in germ-free as compared with conventional rats.