In order to throw light on the mechanisms responsible for the enzyme-dependent absorption of disaccharides membrane hydrolysis of maltose and trehalose and the absorption of glucose (free and that derived from disaccharides) were studied in isolated loops (20 cm) of the rat small intestine in chronic experiments. The rates of glucose absorption were 0.26-0.81 micromol x min(-1) x cm(-1) when the loop was perfused with a 12.5 to 75.0 mmol/l free glucose solution, which is only insignificantly higher than the rates observed during perfusion with equivalent maltose solutions. The coupling coefficient (the ratio of glucose absorption rate to the rate of disaccharide hydrolysis) decreased from 0.90 to 0.60 with the increasing maltose concentrations in the infusate from 6.25 to 37.5 mmol/l, but remained unchanged (approximately 0.95) within the same range of trehalose concentrations. The permeability of the pre-epithelial barrier was equivalent to that of unstirred water layer of less than 40 microm thickness. Fluid absorption was within the range of 0.73-2.55 microl x min(-1) x cm(-1), and it showed a correlation with the rates of glucose absorption. The results agree with a model developed on the assumption that free glucose and that released from disaccharides share the same membrane transporters. It could be concluded that a close coupling of disaccharide hydrolysis with derived glucose absorption in chronic experiments is achieved mainly due to a high activity of glucose transporters, which are presumably not associated with membrane disaccharidases. The transcellular active transport is a predominant mechanism of disaccharide-derived glucose absorption under conditions close to physiological.