Effect of diet upon intestinal disaccharidase and disaccharide absorption

Summary. The administration of a carbohydrate-containing diet for 24 hours to rats previously fasted for 3 days led to a twofold increase in total intestinal sucrase and sucrase specific activity. The specific activity of mal-tase was similarly increased, but lactase activity was unaffected. The su-crose-containing diet led to a greater increase in sucrase than maltase ac-tivity, whereas the converse was true of the maltose-containing diet. A carbohydrate-free isocaloric diet led to a slight increase in the total intestinal sucrase, but sucrase specific activity was unchanged. Assay of sucrase ac-tivity of mixed homogenates from casein-fed and sucrose-fed rats or fasted and sucrose-fed animals yielded activities that were additive. The Michaelis constant (Km) of the enzyme hydrolyzing sucrose was similar in the fasted, casein-fed, and sucrose-fed rats. The maximal velocity (Vmax) was twice greater in sucrose-fed as compared to casein-fed or fasted rats, suggesting an increased quantity of enzyme subsequent to sucrose feeding. Adrenalectomized rats maintained on 1.0 % salt intake had sucrase and maltase levels comparable to those of controls. Steroid administration did not significantly increase their activities. The response to sucrose feeding was similar in both control and adrenalectomized rats, indicative of the ab-sence of steroidal control on sucrase and maltase activity in the adult animal. Studies using intestinal ring preparations indicated that sucrose hydrolysis by the intact cells proceeded more rapidly when animals were fed sucrose. Additional corroboration of the physiologic significance of the increased en-zyme levels in homogenates was afforded by intestinal perfusion studies. Sucrose hydrolysis increased twofold and fructose absorption fourfold in animals fed sucrose when compared to either fasted or casein-fed rats