Adaptation of electrolyte transport in rat large intestine after proximal resection. II. Colon after 50% jejunoilectomy combined with cecectomy.

Electrolyte transport was studied in rat colon adapting to 50% small intestinal resection with cecectomy. Four weeks after surgery, colonic gross surface area, dry and wet weight were increased compared to sham-operated controls. Net absorption in vivo of sodium, chloride and volume was stimulated per organ and per unit tissue mass, and net potassium secretion was diminished. The electrical potential difference, mucosal Na-K-ATPase specific activity and cAMP concentration remained unaffected. In vitro, measurements of unidirectional fluxes and electrical parameters across isolated mucosa indicated enhanced electrically neutral sodium chloride absorption in the proximal and possibly diminished bicarbonate secretion in the distal colon. Thus, removal of the cecum in addition to partial jejunoilectomy induces profound adaptive changes in the colon, involving not only mucosal growth but also a functional reaction of the individual epithelial cell.