Anne Gnauck

Citation

Thesis Title
Testing the relationship between gut permeability, elevations of systemic lipopolysaccharides and chronic disease

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Recent data suggests that subclinical inflammation associated with the onset of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may be caused by gut-derived bacterial products such as endotoxin a toxic heat-stable lipopolysaccharide. The route by which the latter enters the systemic circulation is unknown. Ms Gnauck investigated whether an increase in paracellular gut permeability like found in subjects with Crohn's disease, is accompanied by an elevated passage of endotoxin from the gut into the systemic circulation in women. Gut permeability was assessed in-vivo using the lactulose-mannitol test. The level of circulating endotoxin and the individual capacity to neutralise endotoxin was measured in blood samples using the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay. She found that the method commonly used for the detection of endotoxin, was neither reliable nor appropriate for the quantification of endotoxin in blood samples. Her research findings indicated that previous published results are questionable.

Supervisors
Professor Roger Lentle
Professor Marlena Kruger