Differential effect of glucocorticoids on structure and function of adult rat jejunum

The long-term (28 days) effects of feeding two glucocorticoids, prednisolone and betamethasone 17-valerate, on the adult rat jejunum were examined. Both steroids increased the activities of microvillus enzymes, alpha-glucosidase, aminopeptidase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase, measured in isolated epithelial cells by 46-83%. However, betamethasone 17-valerate caused striking epithelial hypoplasia such that microvillus enzyme activity per centimeter of intestine was similar to that of control rats. Prednisolone produced a trivial epithelial hypoplasia, and therefore microvillus enzyme activity per centimeter of intestine was increased. D-Galactose absorption measured in vivo was similarly affected by the two steroids. D-Galactose absorption per centimeter of intestine was increased after prednisolone but unchanged after betamethasone 17-valerate. Thus, glucocorticoids have separate and opposing actions on the function and structure of the adult rat small intestine: a) to increase the digestive-absorptive function of the mature epithelial cell and b) to decrease the epithelial cell population. These findings suggest that the effect of any particular glucocorticoid on intestinal function will depend on the extent to which these opposing actions predominate.