Effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate on the digestive and absorptive functions of rat intestine

The effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) on the digestive and absorptive functions of the small intestinal epithelium have been investigated in female albino rats. The transport of sodium-dependent glucose was significantly enhanced while sodium-independent transport remained unaltered in drug-treated animals. The uptake of amino-acids was also considerably increased, while Ca++ uptake decreased significantly on administration of the drug at a dose of 35 mg/kg body weight once a week for 1 month. Kinetic studies of glucose transport in the presence of sodium ions revealed that MPA treatment affected the rate of uptake of glucose by elevating Vmax, but the Km value remained the same in treated and untreated animals. The administration of the drug also led to significant augmentation in the activities of the brush border enzymes, disaccharidases, and to an insignificant decrease in alkaline phosphatase. The activities of leucine aminopeptidase did not show any change. The enhancement in sucrase activity might be due to induction of the enzyme because only Vmax was elevated in treated animals. As concerns cellular enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase activity was significantly depressed. This study suggests that MPA also exerts glucocorticoid-like effects on the intestinal tissue.