Lactulose

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Constulose, Enulose

Pharmacological Mechanism

Synthetic disaccharide laxative — non-absorbable; bacterial fermentation in colon produces short-chain fatty acids → osmotic + mild prokinetic effect. Also used in hepatic encephalopathy: lowers gut pH, traps NH4+ for fecal excretion → drops blood ammonia.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 2h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 30000 mg (Range: 10000–60000 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• digestive

Pathways It Modulates

• GI motility + secretion (activator) — osmotic + colonic bacterial metabolism (NH3 trap)

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 11333
• Formula: C12H22O11
• Molecular weight: 342.3 g/mol
• InChIKey: JCQLYHFGKNRPGE-FCVZTGTOSA-N
• SMILES: C([C@@H]1[C@@H]([C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O1)O[C@@H]2[C@H](O[C@@]([C@H]2O)(CO)O)CO)O)O)O)O