A comparison of the activity of five microbial enzymes in cecal content from rats, mice, and hamsters, and response to dietary pectin.

Rats, mice, and hamsters were fed a fiber-free purified diet for 30 days and the activity of a number of cecal microbial enzymes was determined. Expressed per gram cecal content, azoreductase activity was greatest in preparations from the hamster and least from the mouse, and beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase activities were least active from the rat. Nitroreductase was less active and nitrate reductase more active from the hamster in comparison to the other species. When expressed per kilogram body weight, bacterial activities were always greatest from the hamster. When the basal diet was supplemented with pectin (50 g/kg diet), nitrate reductase activity was increased six- to sevenfold per gram cecal content for rats and mice (tenfold when expressed per kilogram body weight), but there was no effect on the nitrate reductase activity of hamster microflora. Pectin also significantly increased beta-glucuronidase activity in rats, but significantly reduced the activities of the other enzymes in at least one of the three species.