Ligation or external fistulation of the common bile duct in the rat. II. Intestinal disaccharidase activities.

72 h after ligation or external fistulation of the common duct the activities of maltase, sucrase and lactase in the homogenate of the small intestinal mucosa of the rat were determined. The experiments were performed in connexion with intestinal perfusion studies, and the disaccharidase activities were measured in unperfused intestinal segments as well as in intestinal loops which had previously been perfused with a sucrose-containing solution. After bile duct ligation, the sucrase and maltase activities in a previously perfused intestinal loop were not different from those in sham-operated animals, the lactase activity was diminished. In a nonperfused segment, the sucrase activity was greater, the maltase activity was unchanged, and the lactase activity was lower than in control animals. After bile duct fistulation, the sucrase, maltase and lactase activities in a perfused segment were lower than in sham-operated rats. In a nonperfused loop, the sucrase activity was greater, the maltase activity was unchanged, and the lactase activity was lower then in the corresponding control group. These data suggest that bile is a factor which influences the total mucosal disaccharidase activities, and, probably, the intracellular enzyme distribution.