Full-value diets of similar composition were given to male rats weighing 207-230 g, by intravenous (group 1) or intragastric (group 2) routes. The proportion of amino acids, fats and carbohydrates was 9.9:15.7:74.4 (with regard to their calorific value). The diet calorific value comprised 60.6 kcal/rat/day. An average mass increase in group 1 was 2.44 +/- 0.14 g/day, in group 2 - 1.75 +/- 0.11 g/day. The protein content and activities of alpha- and gamma-amylase, invertase, maltase, and glycil-L-leucine dipeptidase were assayed in the intestinal mucosa of the proximal portion of the small intestine in group 1 rats, while a decreased alpha-amylase activity in the distal portion of the small intestine was recorded in the animals of group 2. The mass of the pancreas in the rats of group 1 and 2 was authentically lower than in the control rats which received oral feeding with natural foods. The lowest mass of the pancreas was observed in the rats of group 1. Specific activity of trypsin, lipase and RNase in the pancreatic tissues of rats in groups 1 and 2 was similar. The results of the study have evidenced a lowered function of the digestive system under conditions of artificial feeding, especially in case of intravenous nutrition.