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Distribution of activity of hydrolytic enzymes in the digestive tract of rabbits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. Marounek ,
S. J. Vovk  and
V. Skřivanová
M. Marounek
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 104 00, Prague 10 - Uhřiněves, Czech Republic
S. J. Vovk
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 104 00, Prague 10 - Uhřiněves, Czech Republic
V. Skřivanová
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Animal Production, 104 00, Prague 10- Uhřiněves, Czech Republic
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Abstract

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Activities of twelve hydrolytic enzymes in the digestive tract of young rabbits before weaning (4 weeks old) and adult rabbits (3 months old) were measured. The principal digestive enzymes in both groups of rabbits appeared to be amylase (EC 3.2.1.1), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20), pectinase (EC 3.2.1.15) and proteinases. The stomach of young rabbits contained most of the lipolytic activity and 45.7 % of the total proteolytic activity of the digestive tract. The highest specific activities (per g digesta) of amylase, maltase and proteinase in young rabbits were found in the small intestine. Total activities (per segment) of amylase and maltase in the small intestine and the caecum were similar. Activities of cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4), inulinase (EC 3.2.1.7) and β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) were low and activity of pectinase was fairly high in all segments of the digestive tract. The highest activity of urease (EC 3.5.1.5) was found in the caecum. Enzymic profiles of the colonic chymus resembled those of the caecum. Total hydrolytic activity was lower in the colon than in the caecum. Specific activities of amylase and invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) were lower and those of inulinase and lactase (EC 3.2.1.23) higher in 4-week-old rabbits than in 3-month-old rabbits. Gastric proteinase represented almost half of the total proteolytic activity of the digestive tract, whereas lipolytic activity of gastric contents was not found in measurable quantities in adult rabbits. The caecal contents of adult rabbits contained most of the total activity of lipase (EC 3.1.1.3), cellulase, xylanase (EC 3.2.1.32), pectinase, lactase, invertase, β-glucosidase and urease present in the digestive tract. The presence of microbial enzymes (pectinase, cellulase, xylanase, inulinase and urease) in non-fermentative segments of the digestive tract reflects the reingestion of caecal contents during coprophagy.

Keywords

Hydrolytic enyzmesDigestive tractRabbit
Type
Enzyme distribution in the rabbit digestive tract
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 73 , Issue 3 , March 1995 , pp. 463 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1995

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