[Effect of intestinal flora and diet on rat intestinal pool and fecal excretion of bile salts]

Abstract

Comparative studies between groups of rats which differ by the microbial flora of their gastrointestinal tract, the weight of their caecum and the diet on which they are fed allow the following conclusions: 1. Caecal enlargement is, on the one hand, mainly responsible for the increased intestinal pool of bile salts in the intestine of germ-free rats and on the other has little action on the decrease of their fecal excretion. 2. Other than for intestinal flora, diet modifies intestinal pool and fecal excretion of bile salts. Fecal excretion mainly depends on diet cholesterol content. Intestinal pool size mainly depends on dietary factors which are different from cholesterol.