Luminal digestion of lactoferrin in suckling and weanling rats

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Am. J. Physiol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6862522

Britton, J R; Koldovsky, O

The development of luminal digestion of lactoferrin was evaluated in vitro by incubating /sup 125/I-labeled lactoferrin with fluid flushed from the stomach and small intestine of 12-day-old suckling and 31-day-old weanling rats, followed by measurement of radioactivity in trichloroacetic acid-soluble material. Gastric hydrolysis of lactoferrin at pH 3.2 in the weanling was 20-fold greater than that in the suckling. In the small intestine at neutral pH, luminal degradation of lactoferrin was minimal in the suckling but increased significantly after weaning, with maximal degradative capacity demonstrable in the midjejunum. Sephadex G-75 chromatography of intestinal acid-soluble breakdown products revealed two peaks of radioactivity, each comprising 40-45% of the total product; analysis of intestinal acid-precipitable products by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis yielded several discrete lower molecular weight species. Food deprivation for 12 h/100 g body wt decreased lactoferrin degradation in the weanling jejunum and midjejunum. The findings suggest that lactoferrin digestion may vary with respect to postnatal age of the organism, segment of the gastrointestinal tract, and dietary state. In the young animal, lactoferrin degradation is minimal, and consequently its potential for biological function may be high.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Arizona School of Medicine, Tucson (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6862522
• Journal Information: Am. J. Physiol.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Physiol.; (United States) Vol. 253:3; ISSN AJPHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

551001* -- Physiological Systems-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AGE DEPENDENCE
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIODEGRADATION
BODY
CARBOHYDRATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DECOMPOSITION
DIGESTION
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTROPHORESIS
ENZYMES
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
GLOBULINS
GLUCOPROTEINS
GLYCOPROTEINS
HYDROLASES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTESTINES
IODINE 125
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LACTOFERRIN
LIQUID COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY
MAMMALS
METALLOPROTEINS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PEPTIDE HYDROLASES
PHYSIOLOGY
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
RATS
RODENTS
SACCHARIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SERINE PROTEINASES
SMALL INTESTINE
STOMACH
TRYPSIN
VERTEBRATES