Action of zinc on enzymatic digestion and intestinal transport of sugar in the rabbit.

The aim of the present work was to study whether zinc chloride added to the drinking water of rabbits affected the intestinal absorption of D-galactose and the activity of sucrase in the jejunum. The results showed that zinc decreased D-galactose absorption in the jejunal tissue. The effect appeared to be due mainly to an action on the active transport of the sugar by the mucosal border of the intestinal epithelium, because the zinc seemed not to affect its diffusion across the intestinal epithelium. Zinc was also shown to inhibit the (Na(+)-Ka+)-ATPase activity of the enterocyte, which might explain the inhibition of the Na(+)-dependent transport of D-galactose. Nevertheless, a possible direct action of the zinc ion on the Na(+)-dependent carrier cannot be discounted. Zinc did not alter the activity of sucrase in the jejunum of the rabbit.