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Effect of Age on Poly- and Monoglutamyl Folacin Absorption in Human Subjects^1,2,3,

Lynn B. Bailey^*, James J. Cerda, Brandon S. Bloch, M. Jan Busby, Lillian Vargas, Carol J. Chandler and Charles H. Halsted

The^* Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Veterans Administration Medical Center and Division of General Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Division of Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Intestinal folacin absorption and mucosal conjugase activities were assessed in healthy male elderly (65–83 years) and young (20–29 years) human subjects. Luminal disappearance as measured simultaneously from the perfused jejunum of 3 µmol of both [³H]pteroylmonoglutamate ([³H]PG-1) and pteroyl-[¹⁴C]glutamylhexaglutamate ([¹⁴C]PG-7) as well as the urinary recovery of each isotope and mucosal conjugase activities were compared. Luminal disappearance of either [³H]PG-1 or [¹⁴C]PG-7 was not different for the two age groups (P > 0.05). The average (mean ± SD) disappearance of [³H]PG-1 was 63 ± 12% in the elderly and 67 ± 6% in the young groups. In contrast, the disappearance of [¹⁴C]PG-7 averaged 51 ± 6% in the elderly and 48 ± 3% in the young group. Urinary recovery (percent in 48 hours) was not different for either isotope when the two age groups were compared (P > 0.05). The urinary recovery of ³H averaged 60 ± 21% in the elderly and 59 ± 13% in the young in contrast to 35 ± 22% and 35 ± 7% for ¹⁴C recovery in the elderly and young groups, respectively. Folacin conjugase activities measured at pH 6.5 and at pH 4.5 were not different between the groups (P > 0.05). The findings indicate that intestinal absorption of folacin and activity of folacin conjugases are not affected by the aging process.

KEY WORDS: • folacin absorption • folacin conjugase • aging

¹ Published in abstract form: Fed. Proc. 43, 858, 1984 (abs. 3352).

² Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 5590.

³ Partially funded by the Florida Experiment Station, the Veterans Administration (GRECC Project 002) and grant no. AM 18330 from the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

Manuscript received 3 May 1984.

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