Table 4. Pancreas weight and enzyme content of 17 d-old rats after gavage feeding with microbial-derived enzymes, i.e., a protease, amylase, lipase, and a mixture thereof, or water (control) during 14–16 days of age.
| Pancreas weight | Enzyme activity, U/g | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | mg/g b.wt | Trypsin | Amylase | Lipase |
| Control | 3.4 ± 0.3 | 3.3 ± 0.8 | 19.1 ± 3.6 | 87046 ± 50700 |
| Protease | 4.3 ± 0.4*** | 6.5 ± 2.4 ** | 26.4 ± 1.7 ** | 60369 ± 39526 |
| Amylase | 3.5 ± 0.4 | 3.6 ± 1.2 | 21.4 ± 4.4 | 68814 ± 58203 |
| Lipase | 3.7 ± 0.5 | 3.5 ± 1.0 | 21.3 ± 3.7 | 60999 ± 46593 |
| Mixture | 4.3 ± 0.4*** | 8.2 ± 2.4 *** | 24.8 ± 2.3 ** | 73331 ± 58037 |
The organ weights are presented per gram body weight (g b.wt) and enzyme activities per gram of wet tissue (mean ± SD, n = 7). Significant differences between enzyme-treated and control groups are indicated by
** P < 0.01,
*** P < 0.001.