Effect of postnatal malnutrition on pancreatic zymogen enzymes in the rat
1979
Hatch, T.F. | Lebenthal, E. | Krasner, J. | Branski, D.
To determine the response of the pancreas to undernutrition during the critical neonatal growth phase, acquired postnatal malnutrition was induced in the rat, using the expanded litter. An experimental nursing litter of 16 rats and control litters of 7 to 8 rats were formed. At 19 days of age, the pups were killed. Mean pancreatic wet weight was decreased in the malnourished rat to a greater extent than the decrease in total body weight (49 vs. 60%). Decreased organ weight was mostly the result of a decrease in DNA content and cell number. Enzyme activities expressed per total organ were diminished; lipase to the greatest extent; trypsin and amylase to an intermediate extent; followed by chymotrypsin and the carboxypeptidases. The specific activities of lipase and trypsin were decreased. The low trypsin levels can be attributed to trypsin inhibitor. It is possible, therefore, that only the specific activity of lipase is significantly decreased. The decrease in enzyme activities, expressed both as specific activities and as total organ activities, were decreased in a nonparallel fashion. Significant and possibly permanent changes in pancreatic structure may result from malnutrition in the neonatal period.
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