Synthesis of nonspecific esterase in small intestine enterocytes during experimental coccidiosis in suckling pigs]

The activity of nonspecific esterase (EC. 3.1.1.1.) was evaluated in the small intestine mucosa of 21 conventional piglets infected on day 5 after parturition (DAP) with oocysts of the Eimeria debliecki coccidium (infection dose of 200,000 oocysts) for this evaluation a microdensitometric analysis at the level of enterocytes was used. The same examination was also performed in the small intestine mucosa of four control conventional piglets at the age of 2-5 days (Tab. I). The synthesis of nonspecific esterase in the experimentally infected piglets was followed on day 1 to day 10 after infection (DAI). The activity of nonspecific esterase in the small intestine mucosa was found to decrease in a direction from duodenum absorption cells (D mean 34.15) to caudal ones (Fig. 1); ileum enterocytes have the optical density of the enzyme by 8.2% lower (D mean 31.38). The deposition of nonspecific esterase is localized mainly in the supranuclear zone of enterocytes while in the para- and infranuclear zones of absorption cells its concentration is only minute. In the experimentally infected piglets a marked increase in the optical density of nonspecific esterase of enterocytes was observed as soon as on day 1 after infection when the enzyme concentration increased by 19.4% (Tab. II). The maximum increase in the activity of nonspecific esterase of absorption cells was recorded on DAI 9 when the enzyme D mean value was higher by 165% in comparison with the activity of nonspecific esterase demonstrated in the control piglets (Fig. 2, 3, 4). But at the end of experimental infection (DAI 10) the total density of nonspecific esterase of enterocytes decreased by 38.2%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)