title: Effects of a seven-day hypokinesia on the digestive tract of nonpregnant and pregnant rats.
abstract: Hypokinesia (HK) produced by a 7-day contention of pregnant rats in small cages is followed by a discrete decrease of PAS reaction for glycoproteins in the submandibular and sublingual glands, in the mucosa of the stomach, duodenum, small intestine and colon, and also by a small but evident increase of that for leucineaminopeptidase and acid phosphatase in the duodenum and in the intestine. The moderation of these reactions may be explained by the small interval of contention, and not by pregnancy, because the changes are similar in male rats after the same interval. After a longer interval, these reactions change in the same manner but they are more evident, as results from our previous studies. They are not connected with a corticosterone hypersecretion (the principal glucocorticoid in rat) because adrenalectomy does not influence them as results from our previous research. HK increases the 4 and 5 isoenzymes of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in the stomach. In the small intestine appeared only the LDH 4 and 5 isoenzymes, HK increases LDH5 isoenzyme. Adrenalectomy increases all LDH isoenzymes of gastric mucosa, and in the small intestine all five fractions appeared, but with a slight activity of LDH 1 and 2. This relation between adrenal hormones and these isoenzymes must be further studied, especially after HK. After a 7-day HK, nonpregnant female rats present an augmented total gastric acid output (TAO), as previously found by us in males. After adrenalectomy this acid hypersecretion disappeared. Even smaller values for TAO were found. Pregnancy considerably increased TAO which may be due, as we have already found, to a blood pH decrease. After HK this hypersecretion decreased remaining nevertheless great. Progeni born of rats submitted to HK have, after 30 days of life, an augmented TAO. Parts of this research were carried out in order to reproduce by HK, at ground level, the 5-day orbital flight conditions of the soviet Cosmos 1514 biosatellite containing pregnant rats in which we studied some identical parameters.
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004068:Digestive System Physiological Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007422:Intestines / Q000201:enzymology; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D051381:Rats; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013026:Space Flight; D013270:Stomach / Q000201:enzymology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase