Relation of the disaccharidases in the small intestine of the rat to the degree of experimentally induced iron-deficiency anemia

Hypolactasia associated with severe iron-deficiency anemia has been reporte d in several studies. The objective of the present study was to determine w hether hypolactasia is associated with the degree and duration of iron-defi ciency anemia. Newly weaned male Wistar rats were divided into a control gr oup receiving a diet supplemented with iron (C) and an experimental group ( E) receiving a diet not supplemented with iron (iron-deficiency diet). The animals were studied on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th and 35th days o f the experiment, when overall and iron nutritional status and disaccharida se activity in the small intestine were determined by the Dahlqvist method. A reduction in weight occurred in the anemic animals starting on the 5th d ay of the study. Anemia was present in the experimental animals, with a pro gressive worsening up to the 14th day (hemoglobin: C = 13.27 and E = 5.37) and stabilizing thereafter. Saccharase and maltase activities did not diffe r significantly between groups, whereas lactase showed a significant reduct ion in total (TA) and specific activity (SA) in the anemic animals starting on the 21st day of the study. Median lactase TA for the C and E groups was 2.27 and 1.25 U on the 21st day, 2.87 and 1.88 U on the 28th day, and 4.20 and 1.59 U on the 35th day, respectively. Median lactase SA was 0.31 and 0 .20 U/g wet weight on the 21st day, 0.39 and 0.24 U/g wet weight on the 28t h day, and 0.42 and 0.23 U/g wet weight on the 35th day, respectively. Thes e findings suggest a relationship between the enzymatic alterations observe d and both the degree and duration of the anemic process. Analysis of other studies on intestinal disaccharidases in anemia suggests that the mechanis m of these changes may be functional, i.e., that the enterocytes may suffer a reduction in their ability to synthesize these enzymes.