Enzymic development of the small intestine: are glucocorticoids necessary?

The aim of this study was to determine 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. 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 micrograms X g body wt-1 X 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 four enzyme activities of adX pups had reached their normal ontogenic plateau. We conclude that adrenal corticosteroids are potent determinants of the rate of developmental changes of intestinal hydrolases but that these hormones are not necessary for enzymes to eventually reach adult activities.