EFFECT OF AGE ON THE EXOCRINE PANCREATIC-SECRETION OF THE PRERUMINANTMILK-FED GOAT

The effect of age on the exocrine pancreatic function was studied in f ifteen Granadina goat kids during the second, third and fourth postnat al week. The animals, chronically catheterized, were bottle-fed on goa t milk twice a clay. Pure pancreatic juice was collected from I hour b efore and throughout 8 hours after milk ingestion. Pancreatic flow rat e, bicarbonate and chloride concentrations, total protein content and enzyme activities were determined. In resting conditions, pancreatic f low rate augmented with age, probably reflecting an increase in body a nd pancreas weight. Resting amylase and lipase activities recorded sig nificant increases during the fourth week of life. That may be associa ted, respectively, to the immediate change to a high-starch diet and t o a simultaneous decrease in the salivary lipase levels. Our results a lso showed age-related differences after ingestion of milk, mainly con cerning the volume response and the lipase output. The latter can be e xplained in the same way as regarding resting conditions. With respect to the volume response, several factors could be implicated, such as the circulating levels of gastrointestinal hormones, the sensitivity o f the pancreas to such stimuli, the maturation degree in the secretory mechanisms of the gland or the development of the digestive tract.