METHOD OF MEASUREMENT OF PANCREATIC ELASTASE-II ACTIVITY AND POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT OF PROTEASES IN HUMAN DUODENAL JUICE AND BOVINE AND PORCINE PANCREATIC TISSUE

A specific method for pancreatic elastase II activity analysis was dev eloped. True elastase II activity could be discriminated from that of elastase I and chymotrypsin. The postnatal development of four pancrea tic proteases in the duodenal juice of children and in the pancreatic homogenates of calves and piglets was measured. The study was carried out on patients without (14 children) and with (5 children) pancreatic insufficiency, Calves and piglets were either milli-fed or weaned unt il slaughter at different ages. Profiles of enzyme development were gl obally similar in milk-fed piglets and calves, while in children witho ut pancreatic insufficiency, no significant change was observed betwee n 4 and 168 months. In children with pancreatic insufficiency, enzyme activity was low, In animals, elastase II and chymotrypsin activities were maximal at birth, decreased with age, and probably were associate d with the digestion of milk protein. In contrast, elastase I and tryp sin activities increased markedly after weaning in connection with the intake of solid food.