Digestive enzymes of the mucosa of the small intestine and trypsin and chymotrypsin proteolytic activity of the intestinal contents of germ-free, monocontaminated and conventional rabbits.

The activity of the membrane-bound enzymes of the microvillous zone of the entreocytes (maltase, sucrase, trehalase, lactase, cellobiase, alkaline phosphatase and leucylaminopeptidase) was studied in mucosal smears from the proximal jejunum, ileum, caecum and sigmoid flexure in a group of control (C) (8) and germ-free (GF) (7) rabbits. The trypsin and chymotrypsin activity of the contents of the ileum, caecum and sigmoid flexure was studied in 6 C, 5 GF and 5 monocontaminated (MC) rabbits. In summing up it can be stated that the individual membrane-bound enzymes have a different gradient in the various intestinal segments of C and GF rabbits and that they differ reciprocally in character. The maximum statistically significant differences between GF and C rabbits were found in the ileum; in the jejunum they were somewhat smaller and in the caecum smaller still (in this localization the difference was C versus GF). Striking differences in the proportion of the individual disaccharidases were found inthe jejunum and ileum of C rabbits compared with GF rabbits, in which, in both these segments of small intestine the relationship maltase greater than sucrase greater than trehalase greater than lactase was preserved. The proteolytic activity of the intestinal contents likewise had a different gradient character in C, MC and GF rabbits. The maximum activities (especially trypsin) were found in MC animals. The microbial flora is one of the factors regulating the enzymatic activities of the microvillous zone of the enterocytes and it also significantly influences the proteolytic activity of the intestinal contents. This influence is particularly marked in the distal part of the alimentary tube.