Abstract
To study the influence of insulin on the postnatal maturation of the rat small intestine, 9–day–old sucklings received a daily injection of insulin (t2.5mU.g body wt−1) during 4 days. The hormone had no effect on the mucosal mass parameters determined in the jejunum ileum and colon but a premature appearance of sucrase was noted in jejunal enterocytes. The level of activity reached by the enzyme was dependent of the amount of insulin given. After a single injection of insulin (12.5mU), sucrase activity was already detected by 6 hours in all the cell fractions along the villus-crypt unit. In villus cells of insulin-treated-rats, lactase, maltase and aminopeptidase activities were markedly increased (+50%, +201%, +207% respectively vs controls, p < 0.001) whereas the concentration of the secretory component of p-IgA was enhanced by +83% in crypt cells (p < 0.01 vs controls). Administration of Actinomycin D (0.1μg·g body wt−1) to sucklings 1 hour after insulin injection completely inhibited the intestinal adaptive response to the hormone. Our data indicate that (1) insulin accelerates the intestinal maturation of both villus and crypt cell functions (2) the response to the hormone occurs rapidly over the entire villus-crypt unit (3) the effect of insulin appears to be regulated at the level of transcription.
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Buts, JP. 19 EFFECT OF INSULIN ON INTESTINAL MATURATION OF VILLUS AND CRYPT CELL FUNCTIONS IN SUCKLING RATS. Pediatr Res 24, 408 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198809000-00042
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198809000-00042