Urine tests for intestinal permeability typically detect the secretion of administered saccharides with relatively different absorptions over a designated time period to determine severity of disease. Traditionally, a disaccharide/monosaccharide ratio such as lactulose/mannitol is used. Due to the potential for contamination of mannitol from different foods and commercial products causing an elevated baseline measurement, 13C mannitol can be used instead. In this chapter, a method of detecting various administered saccharides in urine for the evaluation of intestinal permeability is described. Three monosaccharides and two disaccharides are included so researchers can choose which combinations best fit their needs. Here lactulose, mannitol, 13C mannitol, rhamnose, and sucralose levels are separated and detected in urine using HPLC separation and MS/MS analysis.
Keywords: 13C Mannitol; High-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; Intestinal permeability; Lactulose; Leaky gut; Mannitol; Rhamnose; Sucralose.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.