American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 60, 879-886, Copyright © 1994 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Effects of feeding on the small intestinal mucosa of beagle pups during the first 5 d of life

SM Schwarz and WC Heird
Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, NY.

To further define the effects of feeding on small intestinal ontogeny, naturally suckled and formula-fed beagle pups were studied over the first 120 h of life. In suckled animals, proximal jejunal and midintestinal mucosal weight and protein and DNA contents increased > 75% by 24 h (P < 0.005), with no further increases at 120 h. In formula- fed pups, no mucosal mass changes were found between 0 and 72 h of life. At 120 h, proximal jejunal mucosal weight and protein and DNA contents were significantly greater than in newborns (P < 0.005) and were similar to values for suckled animals at the same time. No significant mid-intestinal or terminal ileal growth was noted in formula-fed pups at any time. Specific and total activities of proximal jejunal brush border lactase, sucrase, and alkaline phosphatase were significantly greater in suckled vs formula-fed animals at 120 h. In a parallel study to assess postnatal effects of mature milk vs colostrum, significant mucosal growth at 24 h of life was demonstrated in pups suckled by surrogate dams who had whelped 21 d previously. These data indicate that both natural suckling (colostrum or milk) and formula feeding support enteric mucosal growth in newborn dogs; however, the two feeding regimens are characterized by unique ontogenic patterns of intestinal mucosal growth and function.

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