The adaptive hyperplasia of the residual intestine after a massive bowel resection is not fully understood. We investigated the alterations in polyamine and glucose-related enzyme mRNA expression during intestinal adaptation. Six-week-old male Wistar rats underwent an 80% resection of the small intestine. The residual ileum was removed on the preoperative day (control) and on postoperative day (POD) 1, 3, 5 and 7. The total RNA was extracted from the mucosa, and a Northern blot analysis was performed. In the residual small intestine, the expression of polyamine synthesis enzymes, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) mRNAs were increased on POD 1. The expression of polyamine degradation enzymes diamine oxidase (DAO) and spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) mRNA did not change dramatically. Antizyme-1 (AZ-1) mRNA was significantly increased on POD 1. The mRNA expression of glucose absorption and metabolism-related proteins, including the Na+-dependent D-glucose cotransporter (SGLT1), fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (Fru-6-P,2-kinase/Fru-2,6-Pase) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were only slightly changed on POD 1. The enzymes responsible for polyamine biosynthesis but not catabolism were upregulated at the translational level in enterocytes after a small bowel resection. The expression of glucose transport and glycolysis enzyme mRNAs did not increase after a small bowel resection.

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