Abstract
The effect of chronic cold stress on the composition and function of rat intestinal brush border membrane (BBM) was studied. Various lipid fractions from intestinal BBM viz. cholesterol (p<0.01), phospholipids (p<0.01), triglycerides (p<0.05) and gangliosides (p<0.05) were significantly reduced in cold stressed animals, as compared to controls. Analysis of membrane saccharide content revealed a significant increase in sialic acid (25%) and hexosamine (36%) contents and a reduction in fucose (19%) content in cold stressed rats. Determination of various enzyme activities in BBM showed significantly enhanced activities of alkaline phosphatase (p<0.01), lactase (p<0.001) and leucine aminopeptidase (p<0.001), whereas sucrase activity was reduced (p<0.05) under these conditions. The magnitude and site of these alterations across the crypt-villus axis varied from enzyme to enzyme. These findings suggest that chronic cold stress results in profound alterations in intestinal BBM. Altered structure and function of intestinal BBM may play a role in stress-induced derangements in gastrointestinal tract.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 180-185 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2003 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry