Effect of starvation on the tissue composition of the small intestine in the rat

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Abstract
The effects of a 6-day period of complete starvation on the major tissue constituents of the small intestine were studied in male albino rats. The DNA, RNA, protein, and total tissue water contents of the entire small intestine were determined. The weight loss of the small intestine (53%) after starvation was greater than that of the whole body (32%). The decrease in RNA, protein, and total tissue water (49-52%) was commensurate with the weight loss of the small intestine. In sharp contrast, DNA fell by only 36%. expressed per milligram DNA, the RNA, protein, and water were reduced by 21-26%. The changes in the cell constituents of the mucosal scrapings paralleled those observed in the full thickness. The data indicate that during starvation the weight loss of the small intestine is out of proportion to body weight loss, the total intestinal cell population is diminished, and there is a decrease in the RNA, protein, and water content of the individual cells. A reduction in cell size is postulated on the basis of the loss of cell water.

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