Small intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity and changes induced by cysteamine administration in fecal excretions of male Wistar rats

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in fecal excretions was measured in male Wistar rats. Total daily ALP activity in fecal extracts was 133.1 +/- 21.2 mumoles/min per rat weighing approximately 150 g. We found that 63.7% of the fecal ALP activity was inhibited by 30 mM L-phenylalanine (L-Phe), a specific inhibitor for intestinal ALP. As body weight increased from 150 g to 300 g, total daily ALP activity in fecal extracts decreased rapidly to 33.7 +/- 6.08 mumoles/min/rat. However, the percentage of L-Phe-sensitive ALP to total enzyme activity was less variable (40-65%) in the growing rats. Cysteamine-HCl, an ulcerogenic drug, was injected subcutaneously to adult rats (300 g b. w) at a dosage of 400 mg/kg. b. w. Daily excretion of L-Phe-sensitive ALP in fecal extracts decreased to one-third 2 days after injection. Afterwards, a steep and transient increase in the enzyme activity was detected in fecal extracts between days 4 and 7 after injection. ALP activity in fecal excretions may be a clinical indicator of duodenal mucosal damage.