ACCURATE NONINVASIVE TEST OF FAT ABSORPTION IN INFANTS

这项建议计划的长远目标是发展一套“测试工具”，以定量评估婴儿的脂肪吸收不良情况，而不需要像现行的“黄金标准”，即72小时粪便脂肪法那样，控制膳食脂肪摄入量和收集粪便数天。我们提出的“测试试剂盒”是基于给予含有适当标记的13c -甘油三酯（13C-TG）的牛奶（或配方奶）喂食，微量不可吸收的标记物氯化镝（DyCl3）和视觉标记物Brilliant Blue，然后在含有视觉标记物的粪便样本中进行Dy和13C-Excess的实验室分析。除了适合婴儿使用的13C-TG的特殊性质外，拟议“测试试剂盒”的所有组件都已经过验证。基于已知的甘油三酯组成和婴儿饮食中脂质脂肪酸的位置特异性，我们假设13C- tg 1,3-二油基-2-(13C)棕榈酰甘油是一个合适的标记物。因此，在拟议项目的第一阶段，我们将在脂肪吸收不良的婴儿中进行一项有限的方案，以检验拟议的13C- TG粪便排泄与72小时粪便脂肪之间的定量关系。拟议的商业应用：拟议的i期和ii期研究将获得足够可靠的数据，允许定制制造专门用于准确评估婴儿脂肪消化/吸收的“测试试剂盒”。

The long-term objectives of this proposed project are to develop a "Test Kit" for quantitative assessment of fat malabsorption in infants without the need for control of dietary fat intake and quantitative collections of stools for several days as is the case with the current "Gold Standard", viz. The 72-hour fecal fat method. Our proposed "Test Kit" is based on administering a feeding of milk (or formula) containing a suitably labeled 13C-triglyceride (13C-TG), a trace amount of the nonabsorbable marker dysprosium chloride (DyCl3) and the visual marker Brilliant Blue followed by laboratory analysis of Dy and 13C-Excess in a sample of stool containing the visual marker. All components of the proposed "Test Kit" have been validated except for the specific nature of the 13C-TG suitable for use with infants. Based on the known triglyceride composition and fatty acid positional specificity of lipids of infant's diet, we hypothesize that the 13C-TG 1,3-dioleoyl-2-(13C) palmitoyl glycerol is a suitable marker for this purpose. Thus, during Phase-I of the proposed project, we will conduct a limited protocol in infants with fat malabsorption to examine the quantitative relationship between fecal excretion of the proposed 13C- TG and 72-hour fecal fat. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The proposed Phase-I and Phase-II research will be sufficient reliable data that permit customized manufacture of a "Test Kit" specifically for accurate assessment of fat digestion/absorption in infants.