Abstract
The effect of a high fructose diet on sucrase activity was studied in the small intestine of rats fed high fructose diet, high glucose diet, or high cornstarch diet. Rats were meal-fed for five days with the laboratory chow, twenty four hours after the last meal, a high carbohydrate (fructose, glucose or cornstarch) was given for four days and the rats were killed two hours after the beginning of the meal on the fourth day.
(1) A significant increase of intestnal mucosa was observed only rats meal-fed the high fructose diet for four days.
(2) The weight of the brush border also increased in rats meal-fed the high fructose diet for four days.
(3) Sucrase activity increased with mucosal weight. Sucrase activity of rats meal-fed the high fructose diet was greater than that of other groups, expressed in both per tissue weight and per mg of enzyme protein.
(4) Sucrase activity (units per mg protein) of brush border did not differ among the three groups.
