title: Effect of restricting a balanced diet on rat intestinal disaccharidase activity and intestinal architecture.
abstract: The effects of malnutrition on the gastrointestinal tract have been previously investigated in animal models using dietary protein restriction. Because malnutrition is clinically a consequence of reduced dietary intake of all macronutrients, we investigated the effect of restricting a balanced diet on intestinal disaccharidases and histologic conditions of rats. Our diet-restricted animals gained less weight (13 +/- 9 gm) than the control animals (158 +/- 27 gm) over the 5-week study. The proximal, middle, and distal small intestinal segments from the experimental animals had reduced mucosal protein content (15 +/- 4 mg vs. 24 +/- 7 mg). In these segments the total amount of maltase was slightly decreased, whereas sucrase and lactase activities were normal or increased. The intestinal villus/crypt ratios were similar in the experimental and control animals. Mucosal cell height was significantly reduced in the diet-restricted groups; however, cell width was normal. We conclude that severely diet-restricted animals have mucosal protein loss caused in part by reduced cell height, but that the disaccharidase enzyme activities are normal. Diet-restricted animals appear to have sufficient intestinal enzymes to support a normal amount of disaccharide hydrolysis.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004186:Disaccharidases / Q000032:analysis*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D004186:Disaccharidases