Faculty Collaboration Database

Effects of hypoxia on the development of intestinal enzymes in neonatal and juvenile rats. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2003 Jun;228(6):717-23

Date

05/30/2003

Pubmed ID

12773704

DOI

10.1177/153537020322800611

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0037491351 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   9 Citations

Abstract

Hypoxia in the neonate is known to alter the activity of hepatic and pancreatic enzymes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of neonatal hypoxia on the activity of intestinal enzymes, and to determine whether the administration of glucocorticoids to neonates can mimic the effects of hypoxia. Hypoxia in neonatal rats (0-7 days) increased protein content, and lactase and maltase activity in the duodenal and the jejunal segments of the small intestine compared with normoxic controls. Hypoxia in juvenile rats (28-35 days) did not change these enzymes. Two weeks after returning hypoxic (0-7 days) pups to normoxia, their body weight remained lower than the age-matched controls. In the group recovering from hypoxia, sucrase, maltase, and leucine aminopeptidase activities were lower in the duodenal and the jejunal segment. Compared with controls, LDH activity was lower only in the jejunal intestine in the group recovering from hypoxia. All enzyme activities returned to control levels 3 weeks after recovery. Neonatal rats treated with dexamethasone had a decrease in body weight, but increases in sucrase and maltase activity in both the duodenal and the jejunal segment. Hypoxia in newborn rats caused a delayed maturation of small intestinal enzymes. Increases in serum glucocorticoids after hypoxic exposure probably do not play a major role in the delayed maturation of the disaccharidase activity in the small intestine.

Author List

Lee PC, Struve M, Raff H

Author

Hershel Raff PhD Professor in the Academic Affairs department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Animals, Newborn
Body Weight
Dexamethasone
Duodenum
Enzymes
Female
Hypoxia
Jejunum
Pregnancy
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley