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* Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762; and
College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762
To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762-5759. E-mail: rkb1{at}ra.msstate.edu
Although gender differences exist for intestinal absorption of nutrients and drugs, the possible role estradiol may play in modulating nutrient transport has not been established. Therefore, small intestine glucose transport was measured 1 week after administering estradiol to ovariectomized rats fed diets high in carbohydrate (C) or protein (P). Rats treated with estradiol ate 21% less (P < 0.05) and lost body mass (7%; P < 0.05) but did not have smaller intestines. Administration of estradiol increased rates of glucose transport, but only when the rats were fed the C diet. These findings indicate that estradiol causes a disconnect between food intake and the dimensions and nutrient transport capacities of the small intestine. Furthermore, the responses to estradiol are influenced by diet composition, are not of the same magnitude for rats and dogs, and can be predicted to affect systemic availability of nutrients and drugs.
Key Words: rat estradiol diet glucose transport intestine
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