Small bowel disaccharidase activity in the rat as affected by intestinal resection and pectin feeding

This study investigated the effects of small bowel resection (SBR) and a pectin-supplemented elemental diet (ED) on intestinal disaccharidase activity. Rats underwent placement of feeding gastrostomy and swivel apparatus. Control animals were returned to their cages while resected animals underwent an 80% SBR. Postoperatively, animals received either a pectin-free ED or the ED supplemented with 2% pectin. After 2 wk jejunal and ileal mucosal sucrase, maltase, and lactase activities and protein content were determined. Feeding the ED after SBR resulted in significant increases in all three ileal segmental disaccharidase activities but only maltase activity was significantly increased in the jejunum. The pectin-supplemented ED, however, significantly enhanced the adaptation of jejunal and ileal segmental sucrase, maltase, and lactase activity to SBR with the increase in all three jejunal disaccharidase activities being significantly greater than that of the resected animals fed the ED alone.