Carbohydrate Metabolism

(Digestion & Absorption)

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 Lecture Contents for this Topic
1. Digestion in the oral cavity
2. Digestion in the intestines
3. Breakdown of simple and complex
carbohydrates
4. Amylase
5. Absorption of carbohydrates
6. Mechanisms
7. Glucose transporters
8. Disorder in the digestion & absorption of
Carbohydrates

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 Digestion and Absorption
• Digestion and absorption of carbohydrate
• Digestion of carbohydrates
– In the mouth
– In the stomach
– In the intestine
• Absorption of carbohydrates
– Mechanism
– Glucose transporters.
– Transport of glucose.
• Disorders of digestion and absorption of
carbohydrates

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 Digestion of Carbohydrates
• Glucose is the universal fuel.
• Dietary carbohydrates includes
– Polysacchrides
– Disaccharides
– Monosaccharides
• Poly and di-saccharides must be digested
before absorption.
• Principle sites of digestion includes mouth and
small intestine.
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 Dietary carbohydrates

Polysaccharides Disaccharides Monosaccharides

Enzyme action
Polysaccharides
Mouth Dextrins
Disaccharides
No Enzyme action

Stomach
Dextrin's

Small intestine Enzyme action

Maltose + Sucrose + Lactose Disaccharides

Intestinal cells
Enzyme action

Blood stream Glucose + Fructose + Galactose

 Digestion in mouth
• Amylase
– α and β
– Salivary and pancreatic isoforms
– Breaks α-(1-4)
– Active at neutral pH
– Cannot catalyse α-(1-6) branch point linkages.
• Action of salivary amylase is very brief.
• partially digested products are called dextrins.

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 Digestion in stomach
• Very low or no amount of carbohydrates are
digested
• Inactivation of amylase due to high acidity

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 Digestion in intestine
• Pancreatic secretions
– Regulated by local peptide hormone in duodenum
• cholecystockinin (stimulates release of pancreatic enz.)
• Secretin (Secrets bicarbonates)
– Digestion occurs in two stages
• Due to the action of pancreatic amylase
• Due to the action of the enzymes in the intestinal brush
borders

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 Digestion in intestine contd.
• Pancreatic α-amylase
– Breaks down polysaccharides and dextrin's
• Intestinal brush border membrane enzyme
– Maltase, isomaltase, sucrase, lactase, dextrinase
– The end products of digestion are mono and di
saccharides

+ + +

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WHY HUMANS ARE UNABLE
TO DIGEST CELLULOSE?

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 Absorption of carbohydrates
• Two mechanism
1. Active transport
• Sodium dependent glucose transporter (SGLUT)
• Na+ is transported down the gradient
• Na+ is transported into the blood using ATP
2. Facilitated transport
• Sugars move along the concentration gradient.
• Fructose and mannose are transported by Na+
independent facilitative diffusion by GLUT 5.
• Glucose and Galactose are transported by Na+
dependent process.
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 Glucose transporters
Transporter Occurrence Function
GLUT 1 Brain, Kidney, colon, Uptake of glucose
erythrocytes and placenta
GLUT 2 Liver, pancreas, small Rapid uptake of
intestine, kidney glucose
GLUT 3 Brain, kidney and placenta Uptake of glucose
GLUT 4 Heart and skeletal muscle, Insulin stimulated
adipose tissue uptake of glucose
GLUT 5 Small intestine Absorption of
fructose

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Sodium & Glucose co-transport

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 Glucose transport
• Glucose is transported primarily by the portal
circulation.
• Most of the glucose in the post-prandial phase
enters into the liver through GLUT 2 (rapid
uptake).
• The other proportion of it enters into the
extra-hepatic tissues like muscle, kidney, brain
etc.
• These GLUT availability are regulated by the
levels of insulin in the blood.
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Disorders of digestion and absorption
of carbohydrate
• Bacterial fermentation to produce H2 and CO2.
• Abdominal cramps and flatulence results from
accumulation of gases.
• Lactose intolerance
– Intolerance to lactose
– Lactase
• Sucrase defeciency

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