Enzymatic activity in Phymaturus punae (Squamata).

BRIGADA, A.M.; CIMINARI, M. E.; CRUZ, F.; ENRIQUE CAVIEDES VIDAL

Merlo, San Luis

Congreso; Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2004

ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY IN Phymaturus punae (SQUAMATA) Brigada AM, Ciminari E, Cruz F*, Caviedes-Vidal E Unidad Invest Cs Biol, Univ Nac San Luis, 5700 San Luis; *Univ Nac Comahue. Several studies examined how digestive enzyme characteristics of species matches with contrasting diets in the field. Enzyme activity and its pattern along the small intestine gives important information about the quality and quantity of substrate to process. So far among omnivore and carnivore lizards we have not find a clear effect of the diet on the intestinal digestive enzymes. F! punae is and strict herbivore species; thus we predicted that its intestinal carhohydrase activity should be higher when compared to insectivore/ omnivore lizard species. We present here a preliminary test of this prediction studying four individuals of this species captured in Catamarca (Argentina). We assayed aminopeptidase-N, maltase and sucrase activities in homogenates of their small intestines. The pattern of aminopeptidase-N, maltase and sucrase activities were: proximal = medial > distal. Maltase and sucrase activities were tenfold higher than those reported for omnivore and insectivore lizard species. However, the level of aminopeptidase-N was comparable to other lizards with more protein based food habits. These results give partial support to our prediction. Nonetheless, we caution that few species have been studied to date and a phylogenic effect cannot be ruled out.