Effects of prolonged alcohol administration and a high carbohydrate-low protein diet on the activities of the jejunal brush border enzymes in the rat.

The effects of prolonged alcohol administration were studied on the brush border enzyme activities of the jejunum in rats receiving either a normal laboratory diet or a high carbohydrate-low protein for several weeks. Alcohol (15%) given in association with the normal diet provoked a stimulation of sucrase, maltase, and lactase activities after four weeks, but no significant modification in aminopeptidase activity. These results obtained for the disaccharidases were very similar to those observed with the high carbohydrate-low protein diet given without alcohol, although major differences were obvious in the timing of enzyme stimulation. In contrast, this dietary condition initiated a drop in aminopeptidase activity. When alcohol was given in association with the high carbohydrate-low protein diet, no modification in aminopeptidase activity was detected and the stimulation for the disaccharidase activities was similar to that observed with the high carbohydrate-low protein diet given alone. The present results suggest that the mechanisms involved in the stimulation of brush border disaccharidase activities were different for alcohol and for the high carbohydrate-low protein diet.