This study compares the effects of amino acid addition to an elemental liquid diet containing carbohydrates and triglycerides given either intragastrically or intravenously on the morphology and on hydrolase activities in the jejunum and ileum of adult rats. The isocaloric mixtures were administered for 4 days and control rats received an isocaloric laboratory diet orally. Independent of their content in amino acid, all mixtures given intravenously caused a drop in mucosal weight and a shortening of the height of the villi in both the jejunum and ileum. By enteral route, the addition of amino acids to a carbohydrate-triglyceride liquid diet led to the maintenance of normal villus height (this effect being prominent in the ileum) and to a significant increase of jejunal sucrase and aminopeptidase activities when compared with the carbohydrate-triglyceride mixture. Feeding the mixtures by parenteral route caused a significant drop of both enzyme activities. In contrast, lactase activity was generally not modified by the route of nutrient administration or by the composition of the diets. However, the absence of amino acid in the mixture given intravenously caused a specific drop of lactase activity in the ileum. Ileal sucrase activity was lowered dramatically by intragastric or intravenous feeding of the elemental diets. This effect was not modulated by the presence of amino acids. The presence of amino acids caused a significant drop of aminopeptidase activity in the ileum independently of the route of administration when compared with animals receiving the carbohydrate-triglyceride liquid diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)