title: Evolution of some biochemical characteristics of the intestinal mucosa during the first postnatal weeks in C57 mice. Effects of thyroxine and putrescine.
abstract: In C57 mice, during the third week after birth, there is a rapid conversion of the intestinal epithelium from fetal to mature adult status. Some characteristics (lactase, maltase, diamine oxidase, and sucrase activity; putrescine, spermine and spermidine concentrations; mitotic index) have been analyzed for the proximal, middle, and distal parts of the intestine in mice of different ages: 8, 15, 19, and 60 days. The most important observations recorded were as follows: (a) sucrase- and maltase-specific activities as well as spermine and spermidine contents increased abruptly on the 19th postnatal day and then decreased; (b) decrease of lactase and diamine oxidase-specific activity was recorded between the 15th and 19th postnatal days, (c) later, diamine oxidase-specific activity increased, whereas putrescine content decreased in the proximal part of the intestine; and (d) mitotic index was not significantly different when estimated for the crypts on days 11 and 19. No similar variations of these biochemical parameters were observed over a period of 3 days when mice were injected with thyroxine on the 8th day or when mice received putrescine per os on the 9th day, as explained in the text. Only a slight but significant variation in sucrase- or maltase-specific activity with thyroxine and a variation of the lactase or DAO-specific activity of the distal part of the intestine with putrescine were recorded.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physiology, University of Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Etienne-Poncin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dandrifosse
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forget
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lepoint
mesh_terms: D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000254:growth & development*; D008940:Mitotic Index; D011073:Polyamines / Q000032:analysis; D011700:Putrescine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013393:Sucrase / Q000378:metabolism; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000378:metabolism; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011073:Polyamines; D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing); D000520:alpha-Glucosidases; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D013393:Sucrase; D013974:Thyroxine; D011700:Putrescine