Problems involved in correlating changes of functional diffusive and anatomical surface areas of the upper and lower chicken small intestine during fasting

Gene expression and morphological changes in the intestinal mucosa associated with increased permeability induced by short-term fasting in chickens

Short-term fasting for 4.5 and 9 hr has been demonstrated to increase intestinal permeability (IP) in chickens. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 0, 4.5, 9 and 19.5 hr fasting on intestinal gene expression and villus-crypt architecture of enterocytes in jejunal and ileal samples. On day 38, Ross-308 male birds were fasted according to their group and then euthanised. Two separate intestinal sections (each 2 cm long, jejunum and ileum) were collected. One section was utilised for villus height and crypt depth measurements. The second section was snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis of tight junction proteins (TJP) including claudin-1, claudin-3, occludin, zonula occludens (ZO-1, ZO-2), junctional adhesion molecules (JAM) and E-cadherin. Additionally genes involved in enterocyte protection including glucagon-like peptide (GLP-2), heat-shock protein (HSP-70), intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), toll-like receptors (TLR-4), mucin (MUC-2), cluster differentiation (CD-36) and fatty acid-binding protein (FABP-6) were also analysed. Normally distributed data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance ANOVA. Other data were analysed by non-parametric one-way ANOVA. Villus height and crypt depth were increased (p < .05) only in the ileum after fasting for 4.5 and 9 hr compared with non-fasting group. mRNA expression of claudin-3 was significantly reduced in the ileum of birds fasted for 9 and 19.5 hr, suggesting a role in IP modulation. However, all other TJP genes examined were not statistically different from control. Nevertheless, ileal FABP-6 of all fasted groups was significantly reduced, which could possibly be due to reduced bile acid production during fasting.

Intestinal transport during fasting and malnutrition

Fasting or malnutrition (FM) has dramatic effects on small intestinal mucosal structure and transport function. Intestinal secretion of ions and fluid is increased by FM both under basal conditions and in response to secretory agonists. Intestinal permeability to ions and macromolecules may also be elevated by FM, which increases the potential for fluid and electrolyte losses and for anaphylactic responses to luminal antigens. Mucosal atrophy induced by FM reduces total intestinal absorption of nutrients, but nutrient absorption normalized to mucosal mass may actually be enhanced by a variety of mechanisms, including increased transporter gene expression, electrochemical gradients, and ratio of mature to immature cells. These observations underscore the value of enteral feeding during health and disease.

Effect of early postnatal long-term fasting on the development of peptide hydrolysis in chicks

1. Early development of peptide hydrolysis in the digestive tract was investigated in experiments with fasted and fed ad lib. chicks during the first decade of postnatal period. 2. Pancreatic carboxypeptidase A (CPA) activity was maximal at the moment of hatch. On the second day CPA activity considerably diminished in starved and fed animal groups; further starvation (3-4 days) led to the significant increase of CPA total and specific activity, whereas the amount of enzyme in pancreas of fed chicks was rather low. 3. Aminopeptidase (AP) activity of the small intestinal surface was less sensitive to starvation. The increase of activity in all intestinal parts was observed only on the 4th day of fasting. The most sensitive to starvation were dipeptidases. Changes in their activity (2-fold increase) were detected after 24 hr of starvation. 4. The formation of specific physiological proximo-distal gradient of intestinal exopeptidase activities began only after the moment of the first feeding. 5. This gives evidence that the development of peptide hydrolysis depends not only on the age of the animal but also on the normal physiological beginning of the process of exogenous nutrition.

The effects of genetic selection for increased growth rate on mucosal and muscle weights in the different regions of the small intestine of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus)

1. The total organ weights and the constituent weights of mucosal and muscle tissues have been determined in the small intestines of three lines of domestic fowls subjected to different degrees of artificial genetic selection for rapid growth rates. 2. Effects of selection have been examined on the basis of wet and dry tissue weights in duodenum, jejunum and ileum from each line of birds. 3. Effects of selection have been compared on both absolute tissue weights and relative weights (i.e. expressed per kilogram body weight). 4. Selection for rapid growth rate is associated with increases in absolute weight and length of small intestine but marked reductions in relative weight and length. 5. In the fastest growing group of birds the major effect is a decrease in the relative mass of mucosa which is most pronounced in the more proximal regions of the small intestine. 6. These findings are discussed in relation to possible enhancement of intestinal digestive and absorptive efficiency in birds selected for improved growth rate and feed conversion. 7. The differences in tissue composition of the small intestine between lines and between regions of the intestine in the same line emphasise the difficulty in selecting an anatomical parameter upon which to base the in vitro and in vivo measurements of nutrient absorption in a number of established preparations.

Effect of villosity and distension on the absorptive and secretory flux in the small intestine

The effects of villosity and distension on the absorptive and secretory flux in the small intestine were investigated theoretically in a simplified model. In the case of low epithelial permeability, villosity increases both fluxes by surface enlargement, but in the case of high epithelial permeability, this occurred only if the intervillous spaces are very narrow. Otherwise, the flux is reduced due to the intervillous diffusion resistance, which is more effective than the enlargement of the surface area in that case. Distension increases the fluxes due to the additional surface exposed, by opening the intervillous spaces. In the case of low epithelial permeability this increase exceeds that expected from the enlargement of the smooth inner cylindrical surface area. In the case of high epithelial permeability, however, the increase of the fluxes exceeds surface enlargement only in the first phase, just after opening the intervillous spaces. Otherwise, the increase of the flux is less, since the hindrance by the intervillous diffusion resistance is more effective than the increase of the smooth inner cylindrical surface area. In the intervillous spaces the concentration gradient is non-linear with the steepest slope at the entrance due to the permeation through the lateral surfaces of the villi. The gradient approaches linearity in the center of broad intervillous spaces and becomes steeper when the width decreases and the epithelial permeability increases. In rat small intestine broad intervillous spaces are formed at the front sides of the trapezoidal villi by the predominant circular distension. The diffusion resistance in these spaces and the increase of the supravillous diffusion resistance weaken the increase of the absorptive and secretory flux by distension, especially in the case of high epithelial permeability.

Augmentation of neutral sodium chloride absorption by increased flow rate in rat ileum in vivo

Studies in intact animals have shown that intestinal solute absorption is enhanced with increasing flow rates; the mechanism of this phenomenon has not been explored in detail. We used single pass perfusions of rat ileum to study the effect of higher flow rate on electrolyte absorption. Augmenting perfusion rate from 0.5 to 5.0 ml/min resulted in increased rates of sodium (11.0 +/- 0.9 vs. 23.5 +/- 2.7 mueq/min X g) and chloride (12.1 +/- 0.8 vs. 25.0 +/- 2.2 mueq/min X g) absorption, reduction in the estimated unstirred layer thickness (668 +/- 31 vs. 433 +/- 28 micron), minimal changes in intraluminal pressure and transmural potential difference, and a small, though significant, increase in intraluminal volume (19.4 +/- 8.4%). Removal of sodium from the perfusion medium abolished the effect of increased flow rate on chloride absorption as did removal of chloride on sodium absorption; addition of furosemide or acetazolamide to Ringer's solution also inhibited this effect. In separate experiments, stepwise increases in intraluminal volume were induced by elevating the outflow tubing; no effect on electrolyte transport was observed. These studies demonstrate that neutral sodium chloride absorption is enhanced in rat ileum at higher flow rates, perhaps as a result of a decrease in the thickness of unstirred layers.