POLYAMINE AND INTESTINAL PROPERTIES IN ADULT-RATS

We questioned whether polyamines coming from the diet or produced by i ntestinal microflora or by intracellular metabolism influence intestin al functions, Therefore,,ve compared pathogen-free rats and germ-free rats receiving a diet with low polyamine content and either treated or not treated with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and/or methylglyoxal his (guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), Wet weight, protein content, DNA content , sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20) and lactase (EC 3.2.1.2 3) specific activities, amounts of putrescine, spermidine and spermine were measured in the mucosa of the proximal and distal intestine, Bod y weight was also determined, Rats without microflora had a higher spe cific activity of maltase and higher amounts of spermidine and spermin e but lower lactase specific activity than pathogen-free animals; the low-polyamine diet given to germ-free rats had little effect on the fu nctional variables measured (decrease of maltase and lactase specific activities) and did not modify the amounts of polyamines. DFMO and/or MGBG administered to germ-free rats receiving a low-polyamine diet ind uced modifications of most of the variables studied, Body weight and,v et weight of proximal and distal intestine decreased, disaccharidase s pecific activities decreased, and amounts of polyamines changed accord ing to the inhibitor used, Thus, our results showed that the deprivati on of polyamine supply from microflora or from the diet failed, under our experimental conditions, to affect the intestinal properties analy sed but exogenous and endogenous polyamine restriction altered general properties of the organism as well as intestinal functions.