The effect of milk diet enriched with lactose and/or iron on strontium-85 transfer and retention in rat's ileum

The effect of milk diet, pure or enriched with lactose and/or iron, on strontium-85 transfer and retention in the rat's small intestine was studied. Five-week-old female albino rats were fed different diets for three days. On the fourth day they were decapitated. Radiostrontium transfer and intestinal retention were analysed on a 4 cm long everted ileal segment. The effect of experimental diets differed with regard to transfer and retention of strontium-85 in the intestinal wall. Comparison with control animals fed standard laboratory food shows that all experimental diets (except cow's milk with 6% lactose) enhanced the transfer of radiostrontium through the intestinal wall from 14 to 38%, whereas they impaired its intestinal uptake from 6 to 23%. (Author)