Intestinal adaptation in diabetes: amino acid absorption
Lal, D.; Schedl, H.P.
American Journal of Physiology 227(4): 827-831
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9513 PMID: 4279557 Document Number: 75995
In growing male rats of the Carworth or Simonsen strain, diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan, 210 mg/kg. Rats used for L-leucine studies were given 2 doses of streptozotocin solution, 50 mg/ml, on successive days. Rats were fed to appetite except for controls in the L-proline and glycine studies which were pair-fed with corresponding diabetic groups. Cannulae were inserted into the pylorus and terminal ileum of anaesthetized rats and the small intestine was perfused with 150 mM NaCl containing 5 mM amino acid with 25 to 40 mu Ci/litre of 14C-labelled amino acid. The perfusion rate of 1.5 to 2.5 ml/min was selected to obtain 15 to 30% net amino acid absorption in controls. Phenol red, 30 mg/litre, was used as an indicator. Mean blood glucose was much greater in diabetics than in controls. Highest blood glucose values in controls were found with lysine. During the study, controls gained and diabetics lost weight. Dry weight of total small intestine mucosa was the same for both groups except for small significant differences when lysine and proline were given. In 5-day studies, total absorption was greater in diabetics than in controls for leucine, 278 against 204 mu mol