A proof of concept study that successfully used gas capsules to measure intestinal gas in pigs may have implications for research and patient care, Australian researchers say.

The production of certain gases and their concentrations affect gut function and may play a role in gastrointestinal disorders, explained the research team including Peter Gibson from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in background information to the study.

These gases could be used as biomarkers for specific diseases but one of the major difficulties in understanding their physiology was the lack of direct access, as sampling with tubes into the mouth or anus was inconvenient and invasive.

The researchers used gas capsules designed and developed at RMIT to measure gas production in pigs on high and low fibre diets.

They found similar C02 and H2 profiles to the classical measurements in pigs fed with similar diets studied by Jensen and Jorgensen in 1994.

The novel capsules potentially provide a non-invasive and cost efficient way to measure a range of putative gas biomarkers, the researchers including Peter Gibson from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

The findings could have implications for research, point-of-care and clinical assessments, wrote the authors concluded in the study published in Gastroenterology.