ABSTRACT
The treatment of human volunteers infected with Salmonella or Shigella with lactulose resulted in fecal clearance of both, indicating a reduction of intestinal infections. The literature clearly demonstrates that lactulose is effective in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. For studying the permeability of the intestinal mucosa lactulose is generally used in combination with mannitol or rhamnose in humans and animals. The lactulose-hydrogen breath test can also be used to study the malabsorption of carbohydrates by comparing the reaction during more than 6 hours after intake of different carbohydrates. The toxicological aspects of lactulose has been studied in laboratory animals in acute, subacute, and subchronic studies. Lactulose can be used to determine the oro-cecal transit time by analyzing the breath-hydrogen concentration after lactulose intake. Lactulose is an interesting compound with very well documented properties in relation to the intestinal microflora, hepatic encephalopathy and chronic constipation.
