肠道对来自膳食中完整的多肽及蛋白质的同化作用——一个被忽视的领域？

Claims that particular dietary proteins are responsible for illness abound in the literature, but much of the ‘evidence’ for these claims is more anecdotal than rigorous. Nevertheless there are instances (e.g. gluten ingestion in coeliac disease) where specific proteins are definitely harmful, and the possibility that entry of certain other proteins and peptides of dietary origin into the circulation is associated with pathological consequences still merits critical investigation - see e.g. Lessof (I 983). Likewise, the idea has been mooted from time to time that peptidaemia might be associated with various diseases (see section VII (2)), but no definitive conclusions have ever been reached - probably for methodological reasons. Such an association might be either causal or an indirect consequence of the disease which could have diagnostic application.

Hence, in addition to the obvious biochemical and physiological interest, there are clinical implications to the view that intact peptides and proteins may enter the circulation. The objective assessment of these matters cannot be made without a more complete knowledge of the normal processes of digestion and absorption and of their pathological derangements. While both peptide and protein absorption are discussed below, intact peptide absorption is given special prominence because this topic has not been fully covered elsewhere - it has been briefly reviewed (Gardner, 1983 a, b) - and because qualitative proof of its occurrence is now adequate.