Mucosal growth and enzyme activity during the early phase of adaptation after jejunal bypass in the rat

Morphological variables and mucosal enzyme activities were measured in the bypassed and remaining parts of the small intestine 3, 7, and 14 days after a jejunal bypass operation. In the bypassed segment tissue mass, enzyme activity per unit intestinal length, and enzyme activity per unit DNA were gradually reduced. In sham-operated animals tissue mass increased, whereas enzyme activity per unit DNA was reduced. In the segment remaining in function, tissue mass increased, whereas enzyme activities decreased temporarily. In this part of the intestine, the changes were more or less parallel in bypassed and sham-operated animals. It may be concluded that the enzymatic changes are not correlated to the morphologic changes in the early phase of adaptation to intestinal bypass.