Skip to main content
British Medical Journal logoLink to British Medical Journal
. 1970 Oct 10;4(5727):85–89. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5727.85

Malabsorption of Dietary Folate (Pteroylpolyglutamates) in Adult Coeliac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis

A V Hoffbrand, A P Douglas, L Fry, J S Stewart
PMCID: PMC1819649  PMID: 5471775

Abstract

Tests of absorption of folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) and of dietary folates (pteroylpolyglutamates) were performed in 10 patients with untreated adult coeliac disease, five with dermatitis herpetiformis, and three with nutritional folate deficiency. Absorption of pteroylglutamic acid was impaired in eight patients with coeliac disease and in two with dermatitis herpetiformis. Absorption of pteroylpolyglutamates was impaired in all 10 coeliac patients and in four of the five patients with dermatitis herpetiformis. Absorption of both forms of folate was normal in all three patients with nutritional folate deficiency.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANDERSON B., BELCHER E. H., CHANARIN I., MOLLIN D. L. The urinary and faecal excretion of radioactivity after oral doses of H3-folic acid. Br J Haematol. 1960 Oct;6:439–455. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1960.tb06262.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baker H., Frank O., Ziffer H., Feingold S., Cintron-Rivera A. A. Reversal of folate malabsorption in tropical and non-tropical sprue by calf jejunum. Br Med J. 1968 Aug 24;3(5616):472–474. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5616.472. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Butterworth C. E., Jr, Baugh C. M., Krumdieck C. A study of folate absorption and metabolism in man utilizing carbon-14--labeled polyglutamates synthesized by the solid phase method. J Clin Invest. 1969 Jun;48(6):1131–1142. doi: 10.1172/JCI106070. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CHANARIN I., ANDERSON B. B., MOLLIN D. L. The absorption of folic acid. Br J Haematol. 1958 Apr;4(2):156–166. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1958.tb03846.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CROSBY W. H., KUGLER H. W. Intraluminal biopsy of the small intestine; the intestinal biopsy capsule. Am J Dig Dis. 1957 May;2(5):236–241. doi: 10.1007/BF02231100. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chanarin I., Perry J. Evidence for reduction and methylation of folate in the intestine during normal absorption. Lancet. 1969 Oct 11;2(7624):776–778. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(69)90483-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fordtran J. S., Rector F. C., Locklear T. W., Ewton M. F. Water and solute movement in the small intestine of patients with sprue. J Clin Invest. 1967 Mar;46(3):287–298. doi: 10.1172/JCI105531. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fry L., Keir P., McMinn R. M., Cowan J. D., Hoffbrand A. V. Small-intestinal structure and function and haematological changes in dermatitis herpetiformis. Lancet. 1967 Oct 7;2(7519):729–733. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)91942-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GIRDWOOD R. H. A folic-acid excretion test in the investigation of intestinal malabsorption. Lancet. 1953 Jul 11;265(6776):53–60. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(53)91084-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hoffbrand A. V., Necheles T. F., Maldonado N., Horta E., Santini R. Malabsorption of folate polyglutamates in tropical sprue. Br Med J. 1969 May 31;2(5656):543–547. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5656.543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hoffbrand A. V., Peters T. J. The subcellular localization of pteroyl polyglutamate hydrolase and folate in guinea pig intestinal mucosa. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1969 Dec 30;192(3):479–485. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(69)90397-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jeejeebhoy K. N., Desai H. G., Borkar A. V., Deshpande V., Pathare S. M. Tropical malabsorption syndrome in West India. Am J Clin Nutr. 1968 Sep;21(9):994–1006. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/21.9.994. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. KINNEAR D. G., MACINTOSH P. C., CAMERON D. G., JOHNS D. G., BURGEN A. S. INTESTINAL ABSORPTION OF TRITUM-LABELLED FOLIC ACID IN IDIOPATHIC STEATORRHEA: EFFECT OF A GLUTENFREE DIET. Can Med Assoc J. 1963 Nov 9;89:975–979. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Klipstein F. A. Folate deficiency secondary to disease of the intestinal tract. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1966 Aug;42(8):638–653. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lanzkowsky P., Erlandson M. E., Bezan A. I. Isolated defect of folic acid absorption associated with mental retardation and cerebral calcification. Blood. 1969 Oct;34(4):452–465. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nordio S., Cordone G., Gatti R., Marchi A. G., Moscatelli P., Vignola P. A FEW ENZYMATIC AND A/Nordio S, Cordone G, Gatti R, Marchi AG, Moscatelli P, Vignola P: A few enzymatic and immunologic researches in children with coeliac disease and other chronic enteropathies and with immunologic deficiencies. Helv Paediatr Acta. 1970 Jan;25(1):62–76. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Riecken E. O., Stewart J. S., Booth C. C., Pearse A. G. A histochemical study on the role of lysosomal enzymes in idiopathic steatorrhoea before and during a gluten-free diet. Gut. 1966 Aug;7(4):317–332. doi: 10.1136/gut.7.4.317. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stewart J. S., Pollock D. J., Hoffbrand A. V., Mollin D. L., Booth C. C. A study of proximal and distal intestinal structure and absorptive function in idiopathic steatorrhoea. Q J Med. 1967 Jul;36(143):425–444. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vitale J. J. Present knowledge of folacin. Nutr Rev. 1966 Oct;24(10):289–292. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1966.tb08915.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WATERS A. H., MOLLIN D. L. Studies on the folic acid activity of human serum. J Clin Pathol. 1961 Jul;14:335–344. doi: 10.1136/jcp.14.4.335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES