Evidence for Gastric Intrinsic Factor in the Eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) ∗

Summary

By the everted intestinal sac technique, a crude homogenate of eel gastric mucosa was shown to enhance selectively the vitamin B₁₂ uptake of the distal portion of the eel intestine. The active principal in ESH was nondialyzable and destroyed by boiling for 10 min. Weak binding of vitamin B₁₂ to ESH was demonstrated. These findings suggest that a rudimentary intrinsic factor mechanism for vitamin B₁₂ asborption is present in the eel.