Intestinal absorption of cephalosporin antibiotics: correlation between intestinal absorption and brush-border membrane transport

The absorption of seven cephalosporin antibiotics from the in-situ intestinal loop at pH 7.4 and their transport by brush-border membrane vesicles in the presence of an inward H+ gradient ([pH]i = 7.5, [pH]o = 6.0) were examined. A good correlation was found between the intestinal absorption rate and the initial uptake rate by brush-border membrane vesicles. The data suggest that the transport study using intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles is useful as a model system for the intestinal absorption of beta-lactam antibiotics.