Digestive enzymes in the germ-free animal [laboratory animals]

The digestive physiology of the germ-free animal has a number of characteristics (cecal hypertrophy, slower small intestine cell renewal, slower gastric emptying and intestinal transit) which distinguish it from that of the conventional animal. If the germ-free model is to be used to determine the role of gastrointestinal microflora in the nutrition of the conventional animal, it is essential to complete the study of these characteristics by data on digestive enzymes in the germ-free. The present paper analyzes these data. There is little information on salivary amylase and none on gastric proteolytic enzymes and intestinal peptidases. More complete data on exocrine pancreas enzymes and intestinal disaccharidases show that the digestive equipment is similar in germ-free and conventional animals. Bile salts, not considered as digestive enzymes, are qualitatively and quantitatively different, depending on the digestive tract bacterial environment. In general, the germ-free animal has some characteristics which should permit better utilization of the diet ingested. Measurements of apparent digestibility do not confirm this hypothesis since results obtained in germ-free and conventional animals of the same species are contradictory.