Effect of erythromycin on L-threonine transport in rabbit jejunum in vitro.

Several antibiotics characterized by different molecular structures are known to affect some intestinal activities. Some of them have been described as inhibitors of the intestinal sugar and amino acid transport with different mechanisms. Erythromycin (EM) is a macrolide antibiotic acting as a motilin agonist and thus stimulating the gastrointestinal motor activity. Since several substances which increase the motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract may produce effects on the intestinal absorption of nutrients, the present study has been carried out to determine whether erythromycin affects the L-threonine intestinal absorption. The results obtained indicate that erythromycin diminishes the L-threonine intestinal transport, probably at the mucosal border level. Two groups of experiments carried out, with Na(+)-deprived medium and ouabain-enriched medium, might indicate that erythromycin action could be due to either a direct or an indirect action on the Na(+)-dependent L-threonine transport located in the brush border.