Effects of wheat bran on the exocrine pancreas and the small intestinal mucosa in the dog.

Five Beagle dogs, equipped with duodenal and gastric fistulae, were fed a standard diet before receiving the same diet supplemented with wheat bran for 1 month. Pancreatic secretory investigations performed in conscious animals before and 1 month after bran administration showed a significant parallel increase in the flow rate of pancreatic secretion and the outputs of bicarbonate and amylase both in basal and secretin-stimulated conditions. The outputs of protein and chymotrypsin increased only in unstimulated secretions, while the output of lipase was strongly reduced in response to secretin. However, the small intestinal mucosa was not affected by bran administration. Dietary fiber did not alter the height of the villi or the activity of sucrase, maltase and aminopeptidase in mucosal homogenates or isolated brush border membranes from intestinal biopsies. These data suggest that wheat bran supplemented to the standard diet affects the exocrine pancreatic secretion but not intestinal enzyme activities involved in the absorption of carbohydrates and proteins in the dog.