Carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the equine small intestine.
Abstract: Dietary carbohydrates, which constitute a most important source of equine nutrition, are digested and absorbed by a series of complex processes principally in the small intestine, beginning with intraluminal starch hydrolysis by the action of pancreatic amylase. The continuous secretion of a copious volume of pancreatic juice, low in enzyme activity, presumably releases sufficient oligosaccharides for further hydrolysis at the intestinal cell surface by brush border enzymes. Active carrier mediated mechanisms then transport the final hexose products across the intestinal cell for uptake in the hepatic portal system. Brush border disaccharidase activities in the equine small intestine are of the same order of magnitude, and have a similar distribution pattern, to those reported in omnivorous and carnivorous species. The disaccharidase development patterns are characteristic and reflect the ability of the horse to digest the major nutrient sources adequately at various stages of life. The efficiency of the mucosal disaccharidases and the monosaccharide transport systems in the equine small intestine have been established by a series of oral disaccharide and monosaccharide tolerance tests. Horses older than three years of age are unable to hydrolyse lactose, but young and adult horses are fully capable of rapidly hydrolysing sucrose and maltose loads. Several tests have clinical application for assessing small intestinal dysfunction in the investigation of diarrhoea and malabsorption. The deficient digestion or absorption of carbohydrate, whether primary or secondary, can almost always be localized to a defect in the enzymic or transport capacity of the small intestinal surface cell. The continued ingestion of lactose could be detrimental in severely diarrhoeic foals.
Publication Date: 1975-03-01 PubMed ID: 1100825
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Summary
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This research paper examines the process of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in horses’ small intestine. The study’s findings inform how these animals’ dietary intake is metabolically processed, and the implications on their health and wellness at different life stages.
Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates, a vital source of nutrition for horses, undergo a complex sequence of digestion and absorption primarily in the small intestine. This process starts with the breakdown of starch by pancreatic amylase present in the intestinal lumen.
- A continuous flux of pancreatic juice, despite having low enzyme activity, helps to produce oligosaccharides, which undergo further hydrolysis by enzymes called brush border enzymes at the surface of the intestinal cells.
- The final products of this digestion, hexose sugars, are transported across the intestinal cells by active carrier mechanisms, facilitating their absorption into the bloodstream through the hepatic portal system.
Brush border disaccharidase activities
- Comparing the enzyme activities within the equine small intestine to those reported in omnivorous and carnivorous species, the findings indicate that enzyme magnitude and distribution pattern are on par.
- The specific patterns of disaccharidase development displayed are unique to the horse’s biological makeup and dietary requirements, thus allowing the horse to efficiently digest major nutrient sources at different life stages.
Evaluation of digestion efficiency
- The efficiency of the mucosal disaccharidase and monosaccharide transport systems in the equine small intestine have been assessed using oral disaccharide and monosaccharide tolerance tests.
- The study’s findings showed that horses older than three years lack the ability to digest lactose, while younger and adult horses can quickly break down other sugars like sucrose and maltose.
Clinical implications and recommendations
- These results are particularly useful for identifying conditions related to small intestinal dysfunction in horses, such as diarrhoea, malabsorption, or issues related to food intake and nutrient absorption.
- Deficiencies in carbohydrate digestion or absorption can often be traced back to defects in the small intestinal surface cell’s enzymatic ability or transport capacity.
- The continuous intake of lactose, for instance, could be severely harmful to young foals suffering from diarrhoea.
Cite This Article
APA
Roberts MC.
(1975).
Carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the equine small intestine.
J S Afr Vet Assoc, 46(1), 19-27.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Dietary Carbohydrates / metabolism
- Digestion
- Fetus / enzymology
- Galactosidases / metabolism
- Glucose Tolerance Test
- Glucosidases / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses / metabolism
- Intestinal Absorption
- Intestinal Diseases / diagnosis
- Intestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Intestine, Small / enzymology
- Intestine, Small / metabolism
- Lactose / metabolism
- Lactose Intolerance / diagnosis
- Lactose Intolerance / veterinary
- Maltose / metabolism
- Sucrose / metabolism
- Xylose
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Hewetson M, Sykes BW, Hallowell GD, Tulamo RM. Diagnostic accuracy of blood sucrose as a screening test for equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) in adult horses.. Acta Vet Scand 2017 Mar 11;59(1):15.
- Sarin H. Permeation thresholds for hydrophilic small biomolecules across microvascular and epithelial barriers are predictable on basis of conserved biophysical properties.. In Silico Pharmacol 2015 Dec;3(1):5.
- Dyer J, Al-Rammahi M, Waterfall L, Salmon KS, Geor RJ, Bouré L, Edwards GB, Proudman CJ, Shirazi-Beechey SP. Adaptive response of equine intestinal Na+/glucose co-transporter (SGLT1) to an increase in dietary soluble carbohydrate.. Pflugers Arch 2009 Jun;458(2):419-30.
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