Effect of epidermal growth factor on disaccharidase activity in intestinal epithelial cells of mice.

The effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on disaccharidase activity in intestinal epithelial cells were studied in mice. In salivectomised mice, the sucrase and maltase activities decreased significantly compared to the control group. When EGF was given to salivectomised mice, the sucrase and maltase activities rose, but still remained below the normal values. These results show that the submaxillary glands produced another factor, beside EGF, which induced glycoprotein enzyme formation in the Golgi complex.