p-Nitrophenylglycosides as substrates for measurement of amylase in serum and urine.

The study was designed to compare the intestinal absorption of monosaccharides from carbohydrates of different chain length. Furthermore, a correlation between the efficiency of hydrolysis of the polymers and the efficiency of the intestinal absorption was expected to be established. Glucose, the disaccharides maltose and sucrose and the polysaccharides maltodextrin DE 20 , maltodextrin DE 5 and starch were employed as substrates. The whole small intestines of anaesthetized rats were perfused in situ for 60 min with 0.5% solutions of these substrates in an open perfusion system. Initially 3-minute fractions of the perfusion medium, later 10-minute fractions were collected. The parameters determined were: secretion of pancreatic alpha-amylase activity, substrate hydrolysis (by alpha-amylase and by disaccharidases of the brush border membrane), intestinal absorption of the monosaccharides. alpha-amylase activity was significantly higher when the perfusion was carried out with starch solution. The possibility is discussed that this high-polymer substrate might stimulate the pancreas to an elevated alpha-amylase secretion. The highest rate of hydrolysis (45 mumol glucose/min) was determined from maltose as a substrate. The cleavage of the high-polymer substrates was less intensive. The hydrolysis of starch was limited by the capacity of the alpha-amylase, that of the sucrose by low activity of the saccharose. Absorption of glucose was more effective from the maltose solution than from the glucose solution. To understand this phenomenon, an additional "hydrolases-related transport system" could be taken into consideration. Glucose absorption from maltodextrin DE 20 was less effective than might have been expected from the rate of hydrolysis. This fact might possibly be explained by an inhibitory effect of oligosaccharides of chain length 4-10, contained in relatively high amounts in maltodextrin DE 20.

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