Changes in sucrase, enterokinase, and peptide hydrolase after intestinal resection. The association of cellular hyperplasia and adaptation

Abstract

In a study of changes in digestive enzymes after massive intestinal resection and the mechanisms by which such changes occur, rats were sacrified 4 wk after removal of the proximal two-thirds of the small intestine. Alterations in the mucosal levels of sucrase, enterokinase, and dipeptide hydrolase (L-leucyl-L-alanine substrate) were examined in the light of associated changes in protein. DNA and wet mucosal weight, measured in standardized gut segments from various regions of intestine. Metabolic studies showed that normal growth patterns were reestablished after the operation but significant elevations in stool weight and fecal nitrogen occurred in the second postoperative week, falling towards normal by the 4th wk. In standard gut segments wet weight of mucosa, protein, and DNA rose, especially in distal segments, DNA increasing disproportionately. Mucosal levels of the proximally distributed and membrane-bound enzymes, sucrase and enterokinase, showed similar patterns of change: when enzyme activity was expressed in terms of the total per segment, proximally there were considerable increases in both enzymes, but, expressed in terms of specific activity, that of sucrase fell and that of enterokinase was unaltered. By contrast, the largely soluble and more distally distributed dipeptide hydrolase increased more in distal segments and the increases in total activity were accompanied by lesser increases in specific activity. However, in spite of increases in total activity, enzyme activity per milligram DNA fell by over 50% in postanastomotic segments. Subcellular distribution studies showed no change in the percentage of the total activity which was membrane-bound and zymograms confirmed that no new dipeptide hydrolase had appeared after resection. It is concluded that increases in the segmental totals of various enzymes seen after resection are achieved by disproportinate increases in the number of mucosal cells per segment and that the greatest change in a particular enzyme occurs in the region where the enzyme is normally found in highest concentration.