Abstract
Ontogenic development continues after birth in mammalian enteric epithelium as an adaptive mechanism to extrauterine life. Structural, functional and cytokinetic changes of particular prominence occur over a short critical period preparatory to dietary change with weaning. The effect of intraluminal influences on these maturational changes was examined by preparing an experimental surgical bypass in the intestine of the infant rat. Surgical bypass of the terminal one-third length of the small intestine of 12-14 day old suckling rats was performed, maintaining the remaining intestine in continuity (anastomosed to cecum). The bypassed segment, although showing general normal developmental patterns of sucrase and maltase, showed coincident delay in normal reduction of both lactase and enterocyte life-span. The intestine maintained in continuity showed precocious appearance of sucrase and accumulation along with maltase to greater than control levels, accompanied by a normal coincident decline in both lactase and enterocyte life-span. In summary, involvement of intraluminal influences on enteric ontogenic development is expressed by a delay in the excluded segment (bypassed) and by stimulation in the shortened segment in continuity. The data also provide further support of the hypothesis that the life-span of the enterocyte serves as a primary determinant post-natally of enteric lactase levels.
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Tsuboi, K., Kwong, L., Andrew Ford, W. et al. 647 DELAYED ONTOGENIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE BYPASSED ILEUM OF THE INFANT RAT. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 548 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00660
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00660