Effects of hydrocortisone acetate treatment on the small intestine of the lactent marsupial Didelphis albiventris.

When hydrocortisone acetate was administered subcutaneously to the lactent Brazilian white belly opossum, it induced precocious intestinal maturation. Histological features of the small intestine were reminiscent of those seen in human protein-caloric malnutrition. There were also indications that the glucocorticoid acted as an inducer of the differentiation of Paneth, goblet and granulomucous cells within the small intestinal epithelium. In the lactent opossum the small intestine is lined by an epithelium containing cells which exhibit intense endocytic activity (Krause et al. 1977; Santiago et al. 1983; H.B. Coutinho, Beck--unpublished) verified that subcutaneous injections of hydrocortisone acetate could determine intestinal closure in lactent opossums. Krause et al. and Santiago et al. have reported that in Didelphis virginiana and Didelphis albiventris, respectively, the goblet cells and Paneth cells differentiate lately in the development of pouch opossum young. Freitas et al. (1982) mentioned that the plasma cortisol level was very low in lactent white belly opossum, but preceding weaning there was an abrupt increase of the plasma cortisol reaching levels comparable to that obtained in adult animals. These facts suggested the need for investigations to clarify if cortisol could act as an inductive agent for the differentiation of goblet cells and Paneth cells in the lactent D. albiventris.