AGE-RELATED RESPONSE OF THE SMALL-INTESTINE TO SEVERE STARVATION AND REFEEDING IN RATS

The impact of severe starvation and refeeding on the intestinal mucosa of rats of different ages has been studied in a diet-controlled model . Structural and functional alterations of the small intestinal mucosa were assessed by standard parameters including mucosal protein, DNA c ontent as well as maltase, sucrase and leucine aminopeptidase enzymati c activities. Decreases in mucosal mass, DNA, protein and leucine amin opeptidase activity in both the jejunum and ileum caused by starvation , diminished with age. The depression of disaccharidase activities inc reased with age in the jejunum but not in the ileum. Except for jejuna l protein and leucine aminopeptidase activity, the recovery from starv ation, after refeeding, was complete for the other parameters studied, regardless of age.