Dietary polyamines are essential luminal growth factors for small intestinal and colonic mucosal growth and development.
BACKGROUND
Polyamines are essential for cell growth. Dietary and probably gut bacterial derived polyamines contribute significantly to the polyamine body pool.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of dietary, luminal polyamines on growth and development of different gastrointestinal organs in normally growing rats.


METHODS
Male suckling Wistar rats were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: polyamine deficient diet (PDD); PDD plus antibiotics (neomycin 2 g/kg and metronidazole 34 mg/kg); PDD plus polyamine supplementation at normal concentrations; or normal standard laboratory chow. After a six month feeding period 7-10 animals/group were sacrificed.


RESULTS
No differences in body weight gain, food consumption, or general behaviour could be observed between the four groups of animals. Feeding of PDD alone or PDD plus antibiotics resulted in a highly significant decrease in organ weight, protein content, and DNA content in small intestinal and colonic mucosa whereas no alterations were found in the liver.


CONCLUSIONS
Long term feeding of polyamine deficient diets resulted in a significant hypoplasia of small intestinal and colonic mucosa. Dietary, luminal polyamines are important local factors for growth and the development of small intestinal and colonic mucosa.
Löser
C
C
I Medical Department, Christian-Albrechts University, Schittenhelmstrasse 12, D-24105 Kiel, Germany.
Eisel
A
A
Harms
D
D
Fölsch
U R
UR
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004032:Diet; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D011073:Polyamines; D004247:DNA