The effect of spermine on the disaccharidase activities in suckling rats of different age.

The influence of the age of the rat on the maturation of disaccharidase activities induced by spermine was studied. Three-day- and 9-day-old rats were used in the experiment. Spermine was administered orally or directly into the stomach using thin tubing daily for 3 days, and disaccharidase activities in the jejunum were measured. While spermine caused maturation of not only lactase activity but also maltase and sucrase activities in 9-day-old rats, it only caused maturation of lactase activity in 3-day-old rats. Histological studies showed no significant changes in the jejunum of 3-day-old rats treated with spermine.