DIETARY RESTRICTION INDUCES BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOMETRIC CHANGES IN THE SMALL-INTESTINE OF NURSING PIGLETS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biochemical and morphome tric changes in the small intestine of nursing piglets caused by 60% d ietary restriction, and to ascertain whether this model reproduces the intestinal alterations caused by malnutrition in human infants. Pigle ts subjected to dietary restriction had significantly lower levels of mucosal DNA and protein, and significantly reduced segmental disacchar idase and leucine aminopeptidase activities compared with age-matched, freely fed controls. However, greater disaccharidase-specific activit ies were observed in duodenum and jejunum of diet restricted piglets c ompared with controls. Other findings included significantly lower thi ckness of the mucosa, villous height and width, and villous surface ar ea, a significantly lower number of goblet cells, and significantly gr eater mucosal crypt depth, intraepithelial leucocyte number, and infil trated cells per area of lamina propria. The model reproduces most of the biochemical and morphometric changes observed in the small intesti ne of young human infants with chronic diarrhea and malnutrition, and may be useful in further investigations of the biochemical and molecul ar mechanisms of intestinal alterations caused by primary malnutrition in early infancy.