THE APPLICATION OF A SEMICONTINUOUS COLON SIMULATION TECHNIQUE (COSITEC) FOR STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF CLINDAMYCIN ON MICROBIAL HINDGUT METABOLISM

The semi-continuous colon simulation technique was used as an experime ntal in Vitro model to study potential effects of clindamycin applicat ion on basic parameters of microbial hindgut metabolism. Hindgut conte nts from fistulated pigs kept on conventional diets were used as subst rates for incubation. Measurements on reproducibility demonstrated the colon simulation technique as a suitable in vitro method to character ize microbial hindgut metabolism and those factors potentially influen cing microbial fermentation. Application of clindamycin resulted in di sturbances of microbial steady state metabolism and time- and dose-dep endent decreases of SCFA production rates with significant reductions of molar butyrate proportions to almost zero. These effects can be rel ated to the onset of functional disturbances of hindgut function under in vivo conditions since butyrate is an essential trophic factor for colonocytes. in addition, clindamycin induced increases in lactate pro duction with a shift towards D-lactate. The relevance of these changes for hindgut function have to be elucidated in further experiments.