Dietary protein intake and arginine requirements in the rat.
Experiments were conducted with immature rats fed L-amino acid purified diets varying in total N and arginine. The experiments demonstrated that total N intake was the factor responsible for increased orotic acid excretion during arginine deficiency. Increased orotic acid excretion was accompanied by increased liver transaminase activities and increased liver concentrations of NH4-N and glutamine. Arginine requirements for growth and normal metabolite excretion increased as dietary N was increased. Accompanying elevated urinary citrate during N deprivation and arginine deficiency was a depression of liver isocitrate dehydrogenase activity. Citrate excretion was lower if arginine was fed as the HCl compared to the free base. During a partial or total arginine deficiency citrate excretion was elevated at varying dietary N concentrations. Urinary pH was not significantly changed by level of dietary N or arginine.
D000596:Amino Acids; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000172:deficiency; D002951:Citrates / Q000378:metabolism; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009584:Nitrogen; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism
D000596:Amino Acids; D002951:Citrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D014508:Urea; D001120:Arginine; D009584:Nitrogen