Changes in enzymatic activity of small intestine and kidney of rats by a methionine deficient diet.

The effect of methionine dietary deficiency on food intake, weight gain, liver and kidney weight, feed conversion rate, protein efficiency ratio, maltase and leucineaminopeptidase (LAPase) activities of the intestinal mucosa as well as renal LAPase activity was studied. Three groups of female Wistar rats, weighing between 40-60 g, were fed for 25 days on either Diet A (casein supplemented with 0.6% DL-methionine), Diet B (amino acid mixture simulating casein also supplemented with 0.6% methionine) or Diet C (amino acid mixture with 0.67% methionine deficiency with respect to Diet A). The results show no significant differences in either growth or enzymatic activity between the rats fed on Diet A and those on Diet B. The animals fed on Diet C show an increase in intestinal (P less than 0.01, vs Diet B) and renal (P less than 0.005, vs Diet A) LAPase activity, although intestinal maltase activity remained unchanged. Food intake, weight gain, organ weight and nutritional parameters obtained in rats fed on Diet C showed no statistically significant changes, with the exception of kidney weight which decreased (P less than 0.005) when compared to those fed on Diet B.