High-Fat Diets and Fecal Level of Reductase and Colon Mucosal Level of Ornithine Decarboxylase, β-Glucuronidase, 5′-Nucleotidase, ATPase, and Esterase in Mice

In one experiment Swiss mice were maintained on a 16 or 23% fat diet (laboratory chow with added fat, principally corn oil) or on laboratory chow alone (5.5% fat). In another experiment C57BL/1 mice were given a 23% fat diet (as above) or a low-fat diet (67% laboratory chow, 1.9% corn oil, and 31% starch; 5.5% fat). Colon mucosal samples were analyzed for several enzyme activities. In Swiss mice the analyses revealed the following: 1) Ouabain-insensitive ATPase was unaltered in male mice, but it rose significantly in females fed a high-fat diet (this effect was seen when a resuspended high-speed pellet was analyzed but not seen with the initial homogenate); 2) 5'-nucleotidase activity showed a significant stepwise increase with dietary fat; 3) nonspecific esterase activity tended to rise with a high-fat diet (not significant); 4) beta-glucuronidase levels were not altered by diet fat; and 5) ornithine decarboxylase levels were not altered by diet fat. In C57BL/1 mice analyses were done on ouabain-insensitive ATPase, 5'-nucleotidase, nonspecific esterase, and beta-glucuronidase, but no diet effects were seen. Fecal reductase activity was measured with the use of 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyltetrazolium chloride hydrate). A high-fat diet did not affect the activity in C57BL/1 mice, but it caused a significant rise in Swiss mice.