A pancreatic extract-enriched diet improves the nutritional status of aged rats.
Correction of the malnourished state, particularly common and severe in elderly people, is often unsuccessful. To improve the efficiency of realimentation, we evaluated the nutritional effect of a pancreatic extract (PE)-enriched diet in malnourished aged rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups as follows: 1 group of control rats had free access to the diet for 12 wk (C group) and 5 groups were 50% food restricted for the same period. One food-restricted group was then killed (R group) and the 4 remaining groups were refed for 1 wk using a standard diet enriched either with two different doses of a pancreatic extract (2.4 or 4.8 g/d in PE1 and PE2 groups, respectively) or with an isonitrogenous casein hydrolysate (CH1 and CH2 groups, respectively). Profound alterations induced by food restriction (FR) were moderately corrected by refeeding, except nitrogen balance, which was reestablished in rats refed all diets (P: < 0.01 vs. R). Supplementation of the food ration with a pancreatic extract clearly improved recovery. Indeed, body weight gain, both jejunal and ileal trophicity [jejunum: total height, PE2: 849 +/- 45 microm vs. CH2: 768 +/- 17 microm (P: < 0.05); protein content, PE2: 69.9 +/- 5.7 mg vs. CH2: 56.4 +/- 4.8 mg (P: < 0.01)] and nonspecific immune response in terms of H2O2 production by polymorphonuclear neutrophils and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by macrophages (PE2, 20.7 +/- 4.7 vs. CH2, 8.7 +/- 2.3, P: < 0.05) were improved in rats fed PE2. A pancreatic extract could improve the efficiency of realimentation in malnourished aged rats.
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Nutrition, Pharmacy School, EA 2416, Human Nutrition Research Center, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
C
C
Chambon-Savanovitch
C
C
Felgines
S
S
Walrand
F
F
Raul
S
S
Zarrabian
M T
MT
Meunier
M C
MC
Farges
L
L
Cynober
M P
MP
Vasson
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D002364:Caseins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D007082:Ileum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000187:drug effects; D007583:Jejunum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D010184:Pancreatic Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011492:Protein Hydrolysates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
D002364:Caseins; D010184:Pancreatic Extracts; D011492:Protein Hydrolysates; D011506:Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C026375:trypticase-soy broth; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D009584:Nitrogen