Activities of intestinal enzymes in experimental chronic renal insufficiency.

Rats with chronic uremia following five-sixths nephrectomy showed a significant fall in the sucrase and maltase activities in the small intestinal mucosa, the lactase and cellobiase activities in contrast remained uninfluenced. The activity of the L-leucyl-L-proline and L-methionyl-L-proline dipeptidases in the small intestinal mucosa was significantly increased, while the activities of seven other dipeptidases studied were unaffected. The mucosal protein and DNA content likewise remained unchanged. Occasional slight alterations of the mucosa were the only finding at histology.