What is an intestinal sorbent?

An enteric sorbent (enterosorbent) is a substance of natural or synthetic origin that is used orally to bind and remove harmful substances from the gastrointestinal tract. Traditional sorbents include activated charcoal, while Atoxil belongs to the latest IV generation of silica-based sorbents.

Traditional and modern intestinal sorbents

Heavily crushed, porous substances have been used for centuries for various gastrointestinal ailments, such as diarrhea. Sorbents bind various microorganisms and organic and inorganic toxins on their surface, thus preventing their absorption into the blood. Along with all bound toxins, enterosorbents are not absorbed, but are excreted from the body in their entirety. Enterosorbents differ in particle size, surface characteristics, presence and size of pores and chemical structure. From a chemical point of view, they are divided into: activated carbon, zeolites, silicas, aluminoglinates and organic polymers.

Activated carbon

The best known and most long-established sorbent is activated carbon, which is a highly fragmented and porous carbon obtained, for example, from plant or fossil raw materials. The advantages of carbon include its low price, the disadvantages – the need for large doses (from a few to several tens of grams) and fairly low selectivity. This means that carbon effectively binds not only toxins, but also nutrients that the body needs.

Clays

Clay minerals – including kaolin, zeolite and diosmectite – also show adsorptive properties. The latter is one of the second-generation intestinal sorbents, and in Poland is often used to treat diarrhea in infants.

Silica hyrogels

Silica adsorbents are a relatively new class of intestinal sorbents. Silicates are among the substances most abundant in the Earth’s crust, so they are readily available. There are natural and modified hydrogels based on silicon compounds. In the early 1980s, methylsilicic acid hydrogel, a third-generation sorbent, was obtained.

Enterosorbent of the fourth generation – ATOXIL

Atoxil belongs to the latest, fourth-generation sorbents. It consists of purified and highly fragmented silica – a naturally occurring mineral substance. Atoxil owes its excellent sorption properties to the special grinding method and natural porosity of silica. Thanks to its large active surface area (about 400 m2/g), it does not require high doses – 1-2 g of the product mixed with water is taken at a time. ATOXIL has no taste or odor, which makes it easy to administer to children and sensitive people. It is also colorless, so it does not stain the mouth or mask the color of the stool, so no one will miss important warning signs, such as blood in the stool, which is especially important in cases of food poisoning. ATOXIL has a non-porous structure, which makes it act “like a magnet” – all microorganisms and toxins present in the digestive tract adhere to the sorbent particles, and are then safely expelled from the body. ATOXIL remains active the entire time it is in the intestine, so it acts quickly to help our body during diarrhea and food poisoning.