ULTRASTRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS OF THE RAT INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM FED WITHPOLYMERIC, OLIGOPEPTIDIC OR ELEMENTARY FULL DIET, FOLLOWING STARVATION

In this study the ultrastructure of rat jejunal epithelial cells was e xamined, following a starvation period of 72 hours and an enteral refe eding period of 12 days, with either Nutrison, Pepti 2000, or Nutri 20 00. Most changes occurred in the animals examined immediately after th e 72-hour starvation period; these mainly included a significant decre ase in microvilli population, occasional cell membrane disintegration, and a usual microvesicular appearance and degranulation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. No alterations were found in the normally-fed a nimals (control group). This was also practically the same for the Pep ti 2000 group. In the Nutrison group, a small amount of changes were f ound, while in the Nutri 2000 group many alterations were detected, wh ich nevertheless were fewer than in the starved animals. The results d emonstrate that the micromorphological alterations of the intestinal e pithelium caused by starvation improve faster when an oligopeptidic fo rmula is provided, which consequently results in faster and better abs orption of the nutrients,