[Dipeptidase activity in the small intestine of patients with chronic nonspecific enteritis]

Dipeptidase activity in homogenate from small intestinal mucosa is determined according to the method of Josefsson (1965) in 45 patients with chronic non-specific enteritis. The majority of the enzymes are of the endopeptidase group, degrading the dipeptides of the neural aminoacids; glycyl-alanine, alanyl-l-valine, glycyl-l-isoleucine, analyl-glycine, leucyl-l-leucine, alanyl-l-leucine, alanyl-l-proline, glycyl-l-glutamic acid; only one enzyme-glycyl-l-leucine dipeptidase belongs to the enzymes of the brush-like zone of the enterocyte. The glycyl-l-alanine dipeptidase enzyme activity was established to be decreased with 49,2 per cent, glycyl-l-leucine--with 33,2 per cent, glycyl-l-valine with 19,6 per cent, glycyl-l-isoleucine--with 61 per cent, etc. The diminished enzyme activity corresponds, in the majority of the cases, to the severity of the disease and to the degree of the histological changes. It does not reach the decreased degree, found in the patients with coliac sprue. In a series of cases the enzymatic activity does not correspond to the morphological changes: "normal activity" and decreased peptidase activity were found in six cases and in two cases--"partial mucosal atrophy" and normal or elevated peptidase activity. Very likely, the pointed out enzymes, are of a substantial importance for the pathogenetic digestive and resorbtive disturbances in chronic non-specific enteritis, especially protein disturbances.