Enzymic development of the small intestine: are glucocorticoids necessary?

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Abstract
The extent to which the postnatal maturation of intestinal hydrolases in the rat is dependent on the developmental rise of circulating corticosterone that occurs at the end of the 2nd wk of life was studied. Pups were adrenalectomized (adX) on day 9 (i.e., before the developmental surge of corticosterone begins) and were killed on days 17, 20, 23 and 26. Serum corticosterone was measured to eliminate any incompletely adX animals. The rates of the developmental increases of sucrase and maltase activities and the developmental decreases of lactase and acid .beta.-galactosidase activities were depressed in adX pups aged 23 days and younger as compared with sham-operated controls. Administration of corticosterone (10 .mu.g .cntdot. g body wt-1 .cntdot. day-1) to adX pups restored the developmental changes of these enzyme activities to rates equal to or greater than those in the sham-operated pups. By 26 days of age, all 4 enzyme activities of adX pups had reached their normal ontogenic plateau. Adrenal corticosteroids evidently are potent determinants of the rate of development changes of intestinal hydrolases; these hormones are not necessary for enzymes to eventually reach adult activities.