Evening star., 1954-11-08
Stomach S Role in Drugs
Greater I han Suspected
Tests Show importance
Of Absorption; Secretion
By Thomos R. Henry

The stomach plays more important
role in absorption and secretion Of
drugs than hitherto has been suspected.
From experiments described to the
American Society for Experimental
Therapeutics by DR.. Parkhurst A. Shore
and his associates, the stomach MEM
brane is pictured as an oily barrier be-
tween gastric juice and blood plasma.
Drugs may pass both ways through this
membrane barrier. Alkaline drugs pass
the barrier in the direction Of the
stomach and acids pass in the direction
Of the blood stream.
Even when administered directly into
the blood stream, the studies show.
alkaline drugs, such as quinine and
other alkaloids, are found quickly and
in surprisingly high concentrations in
the gastric juices of the stomach. On
the other hand, they are not absorbed
well from the stomach. Acid drugs
such as barbiturates and aspirin are
absorbed rapidly from the stomach,
but are not secreted to any great extent.
Neutral Drugs Absorbed.
Between acids and alkaloids are the
neutral drugs. They are absorbed mod
erately from the stomach into the blood
stream and secrete themselves mod
erately into the stomach.
Many drugs which are representative
of their classes are being investigated
in the National Heart Institute. The
rat stomach is separated from the rest
of the gastro-intestinal tract, tube is
inserted and the drug in solution is
introduced and allowed to stand pre-
scribed time. Up to 80 per cent is abb
Sorbed in one hour. depending on its
physical characteristics, the investi-
gators find.
Soybeans and Kidney Stones.
A derjvative of simple chemical
structure isolated just before the war
from soybeans is proving potent an
tagonist of one of the most refractory
of the bacteria which afflict man,
proteus vulgaris. which has been DEM
onstrated to be major cause of kidney
stones.
This derivative is nitrofurantoin, first
of the so-called nitrofurans which can
be administered by mouth to patients.
Some of its properties and techniques
for tests of its potency against various
organisms we're described before the
annual symposium on antibiotics con-
Quoted by the Food and Drug Admin.
iStration.
It differs essentially from other
chemotherapeutic agents, according to
the report of DR.. Ernst H. Beutner and
John j. Petronio of Brooks Hospital.
Brookline, Mass, in its tendency to con-
centrate in the urine, rather than the
blood stream. Thus it is particularly
potent against nearly all bacterial in
fections of the urinary tract, including
kidney, bladder and prostate.
More than dozen germsSare known
to be present in urinary tract infections,
most of which are more or less suscep-
tible to other chemicals and bioticS.
Proteus vulgaris has proved highly re-
sistant to all until the introduction of
nitrofurantoin which appears to be
almost specific against the organism.
The role of this particular species of
bacteria in causing kidney stones is now
well recognized, DR.. Beutner said.
Halts Stones Growth.
The chemical does not dissolve a
stone once it has formed, he explained,
but when the presence of such an OBJ
ject is recognized. its first growth and
the formation of new stones often can
be stopped.
Nitrofurantoin is chemical variation
of the basic oxygen, nitrogen, hydro
gen and carbon molecule of nitrofuran
isolated when it was observed that
soya sauce, left on a table at room
temperature for several days, did not
spoil. Some substance apparently
was preventing bacterial deterioration.
Since then nitrofurans, built up from
the rather simple molecule found in
the soybean, have been investigated
in many laboratories in Europe and
America. They were first used medicin-
ally during the war for persistent skin
infections but were not tolerated when
given by mouth
DR.. Beutner described techniques now
being used at Brooks Hospital for as
saying the potency of various concen-
trations of nitrofurantoin agent nearly
the whole spectrum Of urinary tract
bacteria.