Enhancement of the Intestinal Absorption of Glucose by Small Doses of Cetrimide and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Abstract

AFTER the growth-promoting activity of aureomycin was discovered in chicks and piglets, some surface-active germicides were tried as feed-additives, and Ely¹ reported a parallel effect with synthetic detergents such as lauryl ethylene oxide. Stern and McGinnis² obtained equal growth responses oil the addition of vitamin B₁₂, aureomycin or detergent to Ely's basal diets, so that Ely's results were attributed to supplementation of a dietary deficiency in this vitamin, and not to primary growth stimulation. However, claims that related compounds, sueh as trimethylhexadecyl-ammonium stearate, possessed primary growth stimulating activity persisted. In attempting to clarify the problem during the present investigation, both trimethyl-hexadecylammonium stearate and its corresponding bromide ester, cetri-mide, were tested on three-week old and adult albino and C3H mice by incorporating the drugs in diet 41 in concentrations ranging from 0.0025 to 0.1 per cent, but no favourable effect on growth was obtained^3,4. With higher concentrations (0.1–1 per cent), loss of weight was marked, and post-mortem appearances did not differ from those of inanition produced by simple food reduction⁵.