lactulose + rhamnose

Lactulose/rhamnose solution is a diagnostic combination agent used in the dual sugar absorption test (DSAT) to quantify intestinal permeability. The solution consists of a fixed dose of the disaccharide lactulose and the monosaccharide rhamnose. The diagnostic utility of this combination relies on the differential pathways by which these sugars cross the intestinal epithelium: rhamnose is absorbed transcellularly through aqueous pores, whereas the larger lactulose molecule is restricted to paracellular transport through tight junctions. By measuring the cumulative urinary recovery of both sugars, clinicians calculate the lactulose-to-rhamnose (L:R) ratio, which serves as a sensitive biomarker for gut barrier dysfunction. This test is frequently employed as a clinical research tool and gold-standard comparator in studies evaluating inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, and in the validation of novel permeability markers like relmapirazin (MB-102).

Other names

lactulose/rhamnose solutionL/R solutiondual sugar absorption test solution