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The fate of soluble mucin in the gastro-intestinal tract of sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. F. Hecker
J. F. Hecker
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge
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Summary

Experiments were done to determine the fate of soluble mucins in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. Incubation of a soluble mucin with liquor from large intestinal contents resulted in loss of mucin. Some of this loss was due to soluble enzymes. The loss of mucin was less when incubation was with rumen liquor and variable when with ileal liquor.

The mean amounts of nitrogen in a soluble mucin fraction which was soluble in trichloroacetic acid (T.C.A.-soluble mucin) were 2·5, 7·3 and 20·0 mg per 100 ml in rumen caecal and faecal liquors respectively. These amounts were only a small proportion of the total soluble nitrogen in these fluids.

Amounts of T.C.A.-soluble mucin, measured by sugar content, were greatest in contents from the small intestine. When the amounts of T.C.A.-soluble mucin were compared with the amounts of lignin in the samples, there was an increase between the abomasum and the first part of the small intestine and then a decrease to the caecum. Amounts relative to lignin were low in other parts of the gastro-intestinal tract.

The greatest ratio of fucose to rhamnose in T.C.A.-soluble mucin from gastro-intestinal liquors was in ileal liquor. The presence of the two methyl pentoses, fucose and rhamnose, indicates that the T.C.A.-soluble mucin is derived from mucus and bacteria.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 80 , Issue 1 , February 1973 , pp. 63 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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