Enzimatic activity in Phymaturus punae (Squamata)

BRIGADA A.M., CIMINARI E, CRUZ, F AND CAVIEDES-VIDAL E.

BIOCELL

INST HISTOL EMBRIOL-CONICET

Año: 2004 vol. 28 p. 355 - 355

0327-9545

Several studies examined how digestive enzyme characteristics ofspecies matches with contrasting diets in the field. Enzyme activityand its pattern along the small intestine gives important informationabout the quality and quantity of substrate to process. Sofar among omnivore and carnivore lizards we have not find a cleareffect of the diet on the intestinal digestive enzymes. P. punae isand strict herbivore species; thus we predicted that its intestinalcarhohydrase activity should be higher when compared to insectivore/omnivore lizard species. We present here a preliminary test ofthis prediction studying four individuals of this species captured inCatamarca (Argentina). We assayed aminopeptidase-N, maltase andsucrase activities in homogenates of their small intestines. Thepattern of aminopeptidase–N, maltase and sucrase activities were:proximal = medial > distal. Maltase and sucrase activities weretenfold higher than those reported for omnivore and insectivorelizard species. However, the level of aminopeptidase-N was comparableto other lizards with more protein based food habits. Theseresults give partial support to our prediction. Nonetheless, we cautionthat few species have been studied to date and a phylogeniceffect cannot be ruled out