Time-dependent intestinal adaptation and GLP-2 alterations after small bowel resection in rats

Existing data on morphological adaptation after small bowel resection are obtained by potentially biased methods. Using stereological techniques, we examined segments of bowel on days 0, 4, 7, 14, and 28 after 80% jejunoileal resection or sham operation in rats and correlated intestinal growth with plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2). In the jejunum and ileum of the resected rats, the mucosal weight increased by 120 and 115% during the first week, and the weight of muscular layer increased by 134 and 83%, compared with sham-operated controls. The luminal surface area increased by 190% in the jejunum and by 155% in the ileum after 28 days. The GLP-2 level was increased by 130% during the entire study period in the resected rats. Small bowel resection caused a pronounced and persistent transmural growth response in the remaining small bowel, with the most prominent growth occurring in the jejunal part. The significantly elevated GLP-2 level is consistent with an important role of GLP-2 in the adaptive response.