[Clinical importance of the determination of intestinal dipeptidase and enterokinase activity in patients with chronic enteritis].

The activity of enterokinase and some dipeptidases (glycylalanine, glycylleucine, glycylvaline and glycylglycine) was studied in the intestinal mucosa biopsy specimens of 52 patients with chronic enteritis. Hydroxyproline excretion in the urine was defined before and after gelatin tolerance testing which showed a decrease in hydrolysis and protein absorption in the small intestine in chronic enteritis. A decrease in the level of dipeptidases and enterokinase involved in membranous digestion was noted whereas the level of glycylglycine acting intracellularly was practically unchanged. A decrease in the enzymatic activity correlated with a degree of gravity of disease and a degree of change in a morphological picture of the intestinal mucosa.