title: Glutathione and its related enzymes in the small intestinal mucosa of rats: effects of starvation and diet.
abstract: Starvation for 24 h causes a striking fall in glutathione content from 3.19 +/- 0.27 to 1.88 +/- 0.14 (X +/- SEM) mumol/g tissue and of GGT activity from 31.75 +/- 4.17 to 19.49 +/- 3.13 (X +/- SEM) nmol/min/mg protein in the homogenate from whole mucosa of the upper small intestinal segments. This was associated with a significant increase in GSH-Px activity and the content of lipid peroxides (measured by the thiobarbituric assay). On semi-synthetic iron-supplemented diet the activities of GSH-T and GGT were significantly decreased as compared with crude diet. On semisynthetic iron-depleted diet GSH-T and GGT activities were further depressed, but this was accompanied with an additional depression of GSH, glutathione reductase (GSSG-R), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and lipid peroxide concentrations. Food deprivation significantly lowers the mucosal GSH-content and could lead to a destabilization of this system presumably by increased oxidative stress. As compared to normal "crude" diet, semisynthetic diets and oral iron depletion have been shown to cause a depression of the intestinal GSH system. As a consequence of these effects, the resistance of the small intestinal mucosa toward exogeneous dietary toxins might be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Essen, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogasawara
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Ohnhaus
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hoensch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007421:Intestine, Small; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013217:Starvation / Q000378:metabolism; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D007501:Iron; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D005978:Glutathione