Activities of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) on undernourished and renourished rats' thymus.

We studied the effect of administration of a low quality dietary protein, from weaning onwards, on the thymus of undernourished rats and the posterior effect of refeeding with a high quality dietary protein. Changes in thymus weight and the activity of Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) and Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase (PNP) on thymus, were determined. Wistar rats were suckled in groups of 14-16 per dam since birth to weaning (23 days) to obtain undernutrition. At weaning, a group of 14-16 rats received pre-cooked maize flour (Protein content: 6.5%) for 18 days. One group was sacrificed (M) and the other rats were refed with the casein diet (Protein content: 20%) during 20 days (R). The age-matched control groups were fed stock diet since 40 (C40) and 60 (C60) days of age, respectively. At the end of the experimental period, body (Bw) and thymus weight were determined. ADA and PNP activities were determined in thymocyte suspensions. Highly significant differences in thymus weight-expressed as mg or mg/Bw(0.75)-and the activity of ADA and PNP were observed in rats fed the experimental diet containing maize flour, when compared to the respective age-matched control. No statistical differences were observed between R and C60.The administration of a high quality dietary protein to undernourished weanling rats is capable to reverse the damage produced by the low quality dietary protein on thymus weight and ADA and PNP thymus activities.