Subcellular fractionation of the longitudinal smooth muscle/myenteric plexus of dog ileum: dissociation of the distribution of two plasma membrane marker enzymes

The distribution of plasma membrane markers, the sodium pump [evaluated as ouabain-sensitive, potassium-stimulated p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (K+-pNPPase)], [3H]saxitoxin binding, and 5'-AMPase, was studied in the subcellular fractions prepared from the homogenates of the longitudinal smooth muscle/myenteric plexus of dog ileum. The K+-pNPPase activity and [3H]-saxitoxin binding were found to be predominantly associated with the synaptosomal fraction as indicated by the high level of these activities in the crude synaptosomal fraction and by the copurification of K+-pNPPase and [3H]saxitoxin binding, but not 5'-AMPase, with several synaptosomal markers during the fractionation of the crude synaptosomal fraction on density gradients. In contrast to the K+-pNPPase activity and [3H]saxitoxin binding, the 5'-AMPase activity was found to be concentrated in the microsomal pellet. Further fractionation of microsomes on density gradient resulted in copurification of 5'-AMPase but not K+-pNPPase or [3H]saxitoxin binding, with other smooth muscle plasma membrane-bound enzymes, such as high-affinity Ca2+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, and Ca2+-ATPase. It was concluded that in the longitudinal smooth muscle/myenteric plexus, the sodium pump activity is present in higher density in the neuronal plasma membranes whereas 5'-AMPase activity is concentrated in the smooth muscle plasma membranes.

Organ culture of rabbit ileum as a model for the investigation of the mechanism of intestinal damage by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Organ culture of rabbit ileum has been established as a model for the investigation of the mechanism of intestinal damage by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Loops of rabbit ileum were filled in vivo with saline, non-enteropathogenic P-fimbriate E coli (PFEC), or EPEC. After 45 minutes the loops were washed, then mucosal biopsies were taken and cultured for up to 48 hours. The earliest changes discernable by electron microscopy were observed at 18 hours postinfection, at which time EPEC were closely adherent to the surface of enterocytes at the base of microvilli, some of which were elongated. By 24 hours postinfection there were large areas of brush border effacement with pedestal formation around the EPEC. No such damage was seen in biopsies from the control loops (saline, PFEC), and intracellular ultrastructure was extremely well preserved in all preparations for up to 48 hours. While there were no differences at eight hours, biochemical analyses at 24 hours postinfection showed a marked increase in the release of brush border enzymes into the culture medium from EPEC-infected explants compared to explants from the control loops. These findings provide morphological and biochemical evidence for damage to the microvillus membrane by EPEC, and validate organ culture of rabbit ileum as a model for the investigation of EPEC-pathogenicity.

Carbonic anhydrase--a marker for particles shed from the epithelium to the lymphoid follicles of the ileal Peyer's patch in goat kids and lambs

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) was found to be a marker for 50 nanometer membrane-bounded particles shed from the lateral cell border of follicle-associated epithelial cells (FAE) in the ileal Peyer's patch (PP) of pre- and post-natal lambs and goat kids. The CA-positive particles seemed to filter into the underlying lymphoid tissue where they formed part of the matrix embedding the cells of the follicle centre.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, mevalonate-5-pyrophosphate decarboxylase and acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyl-transferase from mucosa scrapings and isolated enterocytes from chick duodenum, jejunum and ileum

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, mevalonate-5-pyrophosphate decarboxylase and acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activities were assayed in mucosal scrapings and isolated enterocytes from chick duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Maximal reductase and decarboxylase specific activities were found in ileum and jejunum, while ileum exhibited the minimal acyltransferase specific activity. The isolated epithelial cells showed levels of reductase and acyltransferase specific activities higher than those found in mucosa scrapings, probably due to the contact of these microsomal proteins with proteolytic enzymes during homogenization of the mucosa. However, no protecting effect of the trypsin inhibitor (2mg/ml) could be observed on reductase activity in mucosa scrapings. The cytosolic location of decarboxylase may account for the similar levels of specific activities found in mucosa scrapings and isolated enterocytes.

Increased activity of digestive enzymes in ileal enterocytes adapting to proximal small bowel resection

The ability of adapting ileal enterocytes to express different digestive enzymes in their brush border membranes was tested in young female Wistar rats (n = 72) receiving 60% proximal small bowel resection. In control rats with intestinal transection both neutral aminopeptidase and alpha-glucosidase activities were shown, by quantitative cytochemistry, to increase during enterocyte migration over the lower part of the villus; thereafter enzyme activities declined or remained approximately constant. Proximal enterectomy increased the amount of alpha-glucosidase but not neutral aminopeptidase activity appearing during early enterocyte development. Thymidine labelled autoradiography showed that the rate of enterocyte migration along the ileal villus nearly doubled after jejunal resection (19.3 v 11.1 microns/h). Nevertheless, the time taken for both peptidase and saccharidase activities to appear at maximal rates in the brush border membrane was diminished by about five hours. Thus ileal enterocytes adapt to proximal small bowel resection by selective increments in enzyme expression, findings that contradict the previous hypothesis of simple metabolic immaturity.

Peptidases in dog-ileum circular and longitudinal smooth-muscle plasma membranes. Their relative contribution to the metabolism of neurotensin

We established the content in neuropeptide-metabolizing peptidases present in highly purified plasma membranes prepared from the circular and longitudinal muscles of dog ileum. Activities were measured by the use of fluorigenic substrates and the identities of enzymes were confirmed by the use of specific peptidase inhibitors. Endopeptidase 24.11, angiotensin-converting enzyme, post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase and aminopeptidases were found in both membrane preparations. Proline endopeptidase was only detected in circular smooth muscle plasma membranes while pyroglutamyl-peptide hydrolase was not observed in either tissue. The relative contribution of these peptidases to the inactivation of neurotensin was assessed. The enzymes involved in the primary inactivating cleavages occurring on the neurotensin molecule were as follows. In both membrane preparations, endopeptidase 24.11 was responsible for the formation of neurotensin-(1-11) and contributed to the formation of neurotensin-(1-10); a recently purified neurotensin-degrading neutral metallopeptidase was also involved in the formation of neurotensin-(1-10). A carboxypeptidase-like activity hydrolysed neurotensin at the Ile12-Leu13 peptide bond, leading to the formation of neurotensin-(1-12). Proline endopeptidase and endopeptidase 24.15 only occurred in circular muscle plasma membranes, yielding neurotensin-(1-7) and neurotensin-(1-8), respectively. In addition, the secondary processing of neurotensin degradation products was catalyzed by the following peptidases. In circular and longitudinal muscle membranes, angiotensin-converting enzyme converted neurotensin-(1-10) into neurotensin-(1-8) and tyrosine resulted from the rapid hydrolysis of neurotensin-(11-13) by bestatin-sensitive aminopeptidases. A post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity converted neurotensin-(9-13) into neurotensin-(11-13) in circular muscle plasma membranes. The mechanism of neurotensin inactivation occurring in these membranes will be compared to that previously established for membranes from central origin.

Characterization of xenobiotic biotransformation in hepatic, renal and gut tissues of cattle and sheep

Microsomal and cytosolic preparations of hepatic, renal, ileal and ruminal tissues of cattle and sheep were used to measure oxidative, hydrolative and conjugative biotransformations of 11 xenobiotic substrates. Within species, enzyme activities were generally higher (P less than .05) in hepatic than non-hepatic tissue but, in both species, non-hepatic tissue exhibited considerable capacities for metabolizing certain substrates. Sheep rumen wall (with papillae) was notably high in cytochrome P-450 content (34% of hepatic value), in glutathione conjugation of ethacrynic acid (223% of hepatic activity; P less than .05), and UDP-glucuronidation of estrone (290% of hepatic activity; P less than .05). Sheep differed (P less than .05) from cattle, having lower cytochrome P-450 content in liver and ileum (but not kidney); lower N-demethylase activity in liver, but two- to threefold higher activity in kidney; lower sulfotransferase activity in liver and kidney; and higher glutathione S-transferase activity toward certain substrates. UDP-glucuronidation varied too widely among substrates to afford strong generalization in comparisons among tissues or between species. Non-hepatic tissues in ruminants exhibit considerable capacities for oxidative, hydrolative and conjugative metabolism of xenobiotics. Sheep and cattle differ widely in hepatic and non-hepatic capacities for biotransforming certain xenobiotics.

Small and large intestinal guanylate cyclase activity in children: effect of age and stimulation by Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin

Heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) producing Escherichia coli are a common cause of diarrhea in infants. ST acts through the stimulation of the guanylate cyclase-cGMP system. The effect of ST on the human intestine has not been investigated nor is any information available on the activity, distribution, or development of guanylate cyclase activity in the human intestine. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to characterize, these aspects of guanylate cyclase activity and to study the effect of ST on the activity and responsiveness of guanylate cyclase in the intestine of infants and children of various ages. We measured guanylate cyclase activity in 35 intestinal specimens, obtained operatively, from children aged 1 day to 16 yr. Guanylate cyclase activity was linear with protein concentration and time. Basal activity was similar in small intestine and in colon. In the small intestine, however, basal guanylate cyclase activity varied with age. It was maximal in children 1 day of age, and although somewhat variable, decreased with age thereafter. In colon, an age-related pattern was not found. E. coli ST stimulated guanylate cyclase activity in all specimens in a dose-related manner. In the small intestine ST-stimulation of guanylate cyclase was twice that found in colon. Furthermore, age affected the response of small intestinal guanylate cyclase to ST. Maximal response to ST was observed in children 1 day of age and ST stimulation was significantly greater in children less than 1 yr of age than in older children. In the colon, the response of guanylate cyclase to ST did not change with age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Disaccharidase activity in intestine epithelium microvilli membranes of lambs during the first month after birth

Disaccharidase activity was studied in microvilli membranes of enterocytes isolated from duodenum, jejunum and ileum of lambs at an age of 1, 7 and 23 days. A maximum of lactase activity was observed on the 7th day compared to activity on 1st and 23rd day after parturition and a decrease in enzyme activity on the 23rd day compared to activity on the 7th day. Differences, however, were significant only in respect to activity in ileum. A significant increase of maltase activity in ileum and jejunum was established on the 7th and 23rd day compared to activity on the 1st day after parturition. Trehalase activity attained a maximum in all the three intestine divisions, consequently it subsided with no statistically significant differences. Lactase activity in ileum was significantly lower compared to activity in jejunum of lambs at an age of 1 and 23 days. A marked decrease of maltase activity in distal direction was found only on 1 day-old lambs. No significant alterations were observed in trehalase activity along the small intestine of lambs of the three age groups.

Immunomicroscopic localization of aminopeptidase N in the pig enterocyte. Implications for the route of intracellular transport

The subcellular localization of aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2) in the pig enterocyte was investigated by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy (immunogold staining). By indirect immunofluorescence on either frozen or paraffin-embedded sections, a very intense staining in the microvillar membrane and a weak intracellular staining was demonstrated. No staining was detected in the basolateral membrane. Likewise, the immunogold labelling on Epon-embedded sections was concentrated in the microvillar membrane, whereas the basolateral membrane did not contain significant amounts of labelling. Labelling was demonstrated in the Golgi apparatus and in a minor fraction of the intracellular smooth vesicles positioned between the Golgi apparatus and the microvillar membrane. These observations are compatible with the view that newly synthesized aminopeptidase N is delivered directly to the microvillar membrane by smooth vesicles having a diameter about 70 to 100 nm and does not pass the basolateral membrane on its way to the brush border membrane.

Partial characterization of human ileal alkaline phosphatase: differences between human ileal and duodenal enzymes

Properties of human ileal and duodenal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were compared. The pH optimum, Km values, heat stability, inhibition of activity by amino acids, and antigenicity of ileal and duodenal ALPs were similar. Affinity for DEAE and Tyraminyl derivatives/Sepharose chromatographies, substrate specificity, molecular mass, isoelectric point, and sugar chain structure differed, suggesting two forms of intestinal enzyme. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, or peptide mapping or both suggest that the two major intestinal ALPs are identical, but the minor ALP may be differed from the sequence of major one.

Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase exhibits graded distribution in normal and mevinolin-treated ileum

Because the small bowel is a site of significant cholesterol synthesis, we determined the ileal distribution of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), the rate-limiting enzyme of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Immunofluorescence microscopy on unfixed snap-frozen sections of ileum and jejunum from untreated rats or dogs showed HMG-CoA reductase in the absorptive villus epithelial cells and this appeared to be strikingly localized in their apical cytoplasm. This pattern of HMG-CoA reductase staining approximated a gradient along the villus-crypt axis with the distal villi labeling most intensely. Treatment of rats with mevinolin and/or cholestyramine for 12 days induced a 5- to 11-fold increase in ileal HMG-CoA reductase activity, and yielded a higher intensity of immunostaining without altering the pattern of enzyme distribution observed in control intestines. Also, rats with maximal induction of ileal HMG-CoA reductase exhibited a twofold increase in the number of epithelial villus cells containing prominent stacks of smooth-surfaced membranes in their apical cytoplasm as seen with electron microscopy. These observations suggest that the distal villus absorptive epithelial cells of the ileum contain high concentrations of HMG-CoA reductase, and therefore might be capable of contributing significant quantities of cholesterol to the circulation.

Modifications in ornithine decarboxylase and diamine oxidase in small bowel mucosa of starved and refed rats

Starvation followed by refeeding, which provides a model of intestinal adaptation characterised by proliferative and biochemical changes, was used to clarify the biological roles of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and diamine oxidase (DAO)--enzymes involved in polyamines metabolism. Ornithine decarboxylase and DAO were assayed in the proximal and distal small bowel mucosa of 55 rats, starved for four days and then refed. Rats (five per day) were killed after four days' starvation and at days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 of refeeding. ODC, whose specific activity was similar in both intestinal segments, almost disappeared after starvation and showed a biphasic response during refeeding. High values were found on day 3 of refeeding in the proximal, and on day 4 in the distal small bowel; thereafter, they decreased gradually to be followed by a further significant increase during the last two days of the experiment. Diamine oxidase specific activity increased after starvation despite a very low total DAO activity in both intestinal segments. Refeeding induced a gradual recovery of DAO total activity. Diamine oxidase specific activity also reverted gradually to control values after five days of refeeding. These data confirm the prominence of ODC in the replication processes and suggest that intestinal DAO may not play a major role in enterocyte replication.

Ultrastructural and histochemical changes in ileal reservoir mucosa after long-term exposure to urine. A study in patients with continent urostomy (Kock pouch)

Mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained from ileal reservoirs used for urinary collection in patients with continent urostomy. Shortly after construction of the reservoir there was a reduction in villous height and an increase in crypt depth. After 2 to 3 years of observation, avillous areas were noted in the reservoir mucosa, mixed with islets of villous mucosa. Specimens from the avillous areas showed a marked decrease in height of superficially located enterocytes, with loss of microvilli and a reduction in cell organelles. The histochemically demonstrable activity of oxidative enzymes was significantly reduced in the epithelial cells. There was an increase in the number of goblet cells and autonomic nerve fibres in the crypt layer. The constant exposure to urine led to significant alterations of the ileal mucosa resulting in avillous areas mixed with villous remnants in which many of the intestinal characteristics both structurally and functionally disappear.

Hormonal regulation of postprandial induction of gastrointestinal ornithine decarboxylase activity

The growth of gastrointestinal mucosa can be related to ingestion and digestion of diet, with fasting producing mucosal hypoplasia and hyperphagia producing mucosal hyperplasia. Experiments were designed to determine whether induction of polyamine metabolism following ingestion of a meal was related to mucosal growth. Activity of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in both jejunum and ileum but not in duodenum was dependent on the presence of food in the gut; ODC activity was more than 200-fold greater in mucosa of fed rats than in fasted rats. Inhibition of ODC with difluoromethylornithine lead to mucosal atrophy in ileum but not in duodenum. Refeeding of fasted rats resulted in significant induction of ODC in duodenal, ileal, and colonic, but not fundic, mucosa. In addition, two hormones, epidermal growth factor and glucagon, were effective inducers of ileal ODC activity. Direct evidence for hormonal involvement in the postprandial rise in mucosal ODC activity was provided by experiments in rats that had undergone ileal bypass surgery. After refeeding of fasted rats mucosal ODC activity was induced in both ileum left in continuity and in the bypassed segment. Refeeding of elemental diets demonstrated that ingestion of carbohydrate alone was sufficient for maximal enzyme induction. Mixed amino acids or glyceryl trioleate were no more effective inducers than nonnutritive solutions of cellulose or saccharin. These data demonstrate that hormones which are released during ingestion and digestion of a meal are the stimuli for induction of mucosal polyamine metabolism, suggesting that food-induced mucosal growth is hormonally mediated.

Fate of pancreatic enzymes during small intestinal aboral transit in humans

To determine survival of pancreatic enzymes during small intestinal aboral transit in humans, seven healthy volunteers were intubated with an oroileal tube. By using nonabsorbable markers we measured the cumulative amount of lipase, trypsin, and amylase activities and lipase and trypsin immunoreactivities delivered postprandially to the duodenum, midjejunum, and terminal ileum. We found that as the enzymes moved from duodenum to ileum, 74% of amylase activity, 22% of trypsin activity, and 1% of lipase activity survived transit. Enzymatic activity and immunoreactivity of trypsin and lipase disappeared at different rates, suggesting that for these enzymes the sites of enzymatic activity and immunorecognition are not identical. Since tryptic activity is present even in the absence of immunorecognizable trypsin, complete structural integrity of the trypsin molecule may not be essential for its enzymatic activity. The short intraluminal survival of lipolytic activity may partially explain why patients with progressive exocrine pancreatic insufficiency malabsorb fat earlier than other nutrients.

Mechanism of induction of mucosal ornithine decarboxylase by food

Refeeding fasted rats dramatically increases ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in the mucosa of the small intestine and colon. The agents responsible for that activation and pathways leading to activation, however, have not been identified. The current work examines whether stimulation of ODC activity is mediated humorally or directly and whether dietary amines might be in part responsible for activation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used 1 wk after they were surgically prepared with Thiry-Vella jejunal loops. Two hours after refeeding rats fasted for 48 h, ODC activity increased 40-fold in mucosa from the intact jejunum and 4-fold in the mucosa of the bypassed segments. The injection of intestinal contents (obtained from additional fed rats) into the bypassed loop caused a 10-fold increase in ODC activity in the loop measured 2 h later. Injection of gut contents, lyophilized to remove dietary amines, produced no change in enzyme activity. The addition of 400 mol dimethylamine to lyophilized gut contents restored enzyme activation to 80% of the previous level. These data allow the following conclusions: following a meal mucosal ODC is activated by both humoral and direct mechanisms, direct stimulation by dietary constituents appears to be the predominant mechanism involved, and dietary amines may be one of the agents involved in directly increasing enzyme activity.

Ileal hyperplastic response to starvation in the rat

The ability to respond to changes in the external and internal environments is a fundamental characteristic of intestinal structure and function. We compared the responses of the rat proximal and distal small intestine to the stresses of fasting and refeeding in the rat. In the duodenum, 3 days of starvation caused villus and crypt hypoplasia, reduced incorporation of [3H]thymidine into crypt cells, decreased cell migration rate on the villus, and lowered specific and total activities of several cellular enzymes. These changes were reversed by 1 day of refeeding. In contrast, mucosal hypoplasia did not occur in the ileum during fasting, and the specific activities of the disaccharidases were increased after 3 days of starvation. However, ileal [3H]thymidine incorporation, thymidine kinase activity, and ornithine decarboxylase activity decreased during starvation. These effects were also reversed by refeeding. The results of these studies illustrate differing responses for the proximal and distal small intestine and suggest the presence of distinctly differing mechanisms for the control of their mucosal mass and enzyme activities.

Endogenous corticosterone rather than dietary sucrose as a modulator for intestinal sucrase activity in artificially reared rat pups

The effects of sucrose and corticosterone on the expression of intestinal sucrase activity in preweanling rat pups were studied using an artificial rearing (AR) technique. When AR rat pups were isocalorically fed diets containing lactose or sucrose, or a carbohydrate-free diet from d 12-16, jejunal and ileal sucrase and maltase activities were induced to similar levels in all AR rats, whereas ileal lactase activity was precociously decreased. In separate experiments, enzyme activities were measured in ileal isografts subcutaneously implanted in littermates at birth. In AR rats fed the lactose diet, these isografts showed sucrase and maltase activities comparable with those of host ileum and also to isografts from AR rats fed the sucrose diet. In contrast, lactase activity was significantly higher in isografts than host ileum in all AR rats. Serum corticosterone levels were significantly elevated in AR rats for 24 h after intragastric cannular implantation. Precocious expression of ileal sucrase activity occurred in corticosterone treated, but not in untreated, adrenalectomized AR rats. In conclusion, dietary sucrose has no specific role in enhancing intestinal sucrase activity, and endogenous corticosterone is responsible for the induction of sucrase activity in AR rats.

Diurnal rhythm of HMG CoA reductase activity in canine intestine is independent of luminal contents

Activity of the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (EC 1.1.1.34) measured in isolated segments of canine intestinal mucosa showed a distinct diurnal rhythm. Total activity changed over a twofold range with a peak occurring during midday, shortly after feeding. Since the isolated segments had no contact with luminal contents, the rhythm was not directly related to food components or bile salts. Humoral or neural influences must mediate the rhythm. The diurnal rhythm persisted for at least 3-5 mo, but was lost by 10 mo following formation of the isolated segment, possibly because of mucosal involution.

Development profile of neuron-specific enolase in human gut and its implications in Hirschsprung's disease

The most widely held view on the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease as an arrest of neuroblast migration in the gut was based on the hypothesis of a single craniocaudal gradient of development of enteric neurons. Recent experimental studies in animals, however, have revived a contradictory hypothesis of a dual gradient of neuronal development; such data are not available in humans. To test these hypotheses in humans, we studied the pylorus, ileum, and colon of 28 fetuses with gestational ages of 9-21 wk, using immunohistochemical localization of neuron-specific enolase, a specific neuronal marker indicative of differentiation. Development of the enteric nervous system was shown to be most advanced in the pylorus, less so in the colon, and least so in the ileum. The findings support the hypothesis of a dual gradient of neuronal development proceeding from both ends to the middle of the gut in midtrimester human fetuses and suggest that the pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease needs to be reconsidered.

Inhibition of ileal and colonic ornithine decarboxylase activity by alpha-difluoromethylornithine in rats: transient atrophic changes and loss of postresectional adaptive growth

To determine the role of putrescine synthesis in adaptive hyperplasia of the ileum and colon, DL-alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an enzyme-activated, irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the enzyme controlling putrescine biosynthesis, was fed to rats after excision of the proximal half of the small bowel. A rise in ODC activity (280% in the proximal ileum, 62% in the proximal colon) and a rise in putrescine content (220% in the proximal ileum, 250% in the proximal colon) normally accompanied characteristic cytochemical adaptive increases in the ileum and colon at day 6. Inclusion of 1% DFMO (2.1 gm/kg/day) in drinking water for 12 hours before operation and for 14 days thereafter decreased ODC activity by 85% to 96%, reduced levels of putrescine and spermidine and measurements of the adaptive response by 50% in the ileum, and abolished the adaptive response in the colon. During the first 10 days of DFMO feeding, villous atrophy and other hypoplastic changes occurred in control rats, but by 14 days of DFMO feeding atrophy and hypoplasia were no longer present. Although DFMO inhibits adaptive hyperplasia occurring in the ileum and colon of rats after resection of the proximal half of the small bowel, spontaneous recovery of villous atrophy occurs during further DFMO feeding and may protect the host during chemotherapy.

Dietary regulation of intestinal glucohydrolases in adult rats: comparison of the effect of solid and liquid diets containing glucose polymers, starch, or sucrose

For 1 wk, 3-mo-old male rats were fed a low-starch (5 cal%), high-fat (73 cal%, corn oil) diet followed by a high-glucose-polymer (70 cal%), low-fat (7 cal%, corn oil) or a middle-glucose-polymer (40 cal%), middle-fat (37 cal%, corn oil) diet. Other animals were fed similar diets but with starch or sucrose instead of the glucose polymers. Rats were sacrificed 2 or 7 days later. Food intake, body weight changes, and protein content per intestinal segment were similar in all groups. Increased carbohydrate intake evoked an increase of sucrase, maltase, glucoamylase, and lactase activity in both the jejunum and ileum. Effect of glucose polymers on glucohydrolase was similar in animals fed commercial liquid-soy-based infant formulas containing sucrose, glucose polymers, or both. Results support using glucose polymers as replacements for sucrose or starch when digestion impairment of those sugars is suspected or when a formula of lower osmolality is indicated.

Ontogeny of bile acid transport in brush border membrane vesicles from rat ileum

We studied the postnatal development of bile acid transport in rat ileum, using brush border membrane vesicles prepared by a Ca2+ precipitation method. Membrane vesicles from developing (day 14-21) and adult Sprague-Dawley rats were enriched to a similar degree in brush border membrane marker enzyme activities (sucrase or lactase) compared with homogenate. Uptake of 25 microM [3H]taurocholate by adult membrane vesicles was markedly accelerated in the presence of an inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient compared with a K+ gradient, and there was a transient intravesicular accumulation of isotope above equilibrium ("overshoot"). In contrast, at 14 and 16 days of age there was no difference in taurocholate uptake in the presence of a Na+ or a K+ gradient, and uptake was not saturable. The integrity of the vesicle preparation from 14- and 16-day-old rats was confirmed by the demonstration of Na+-dependent uphill transport of 100 microM L-[3H]alanine. Stimulation of taurocholate uptake by a Na+ compared with a K+ gradient ("sodium effect") was first observed at age 17 days, but an overshoot was not present until 18 days of age. The initial rate of Na+-dependent taurocholate (25 microM) uptake increased sixfold between 17 and 21 days of age (24.36 +/- 6.11 to 148.59 +/- 8.56 pmol X mg-1 protein X 5 s-1). Absent or decreased Na+-dependent taurocholate uptake was not due to increased permeability or "leakiness" of vesicles from younger animals to Na+. Ileal brush border membrane vesicles demonstrated saturable kinetics at 21 days, but the Vmax was significantly lower (10.15 +/- 0.44 vs. 13.42 +/- 0.59 nmol X mg-1 protein X min -1, p less than 0.001) and the apparent Km higher (130.6 +/- 18.9 vs. 70.1 +/- 12.6 microM, p less than 0.007) than the adult. We conclude that (a) saturable, Na+-bile acid coupled transport is absent in rat ileum throughout most of the suckling period and (b) kinetic analysis suggests that maturation occurs near weaning, primarily through an increase in functional bile acid carriers within the ileal brush border membrane.