Ammonium nitrogen in fetuses of urea-treated sheep.
Eight pregnant Southdown ewes were treated (by drench) with 12.5 ml of 3.3 M urea solution per kilogram of body weight, and ammonium nitrogen concentrations of blood and tissues of these ewes and their fetuses were measured and compared with those of control ewes (given water by drench) and their fetuses. Blood ammonium nitrogen (BAN) and tissue ammonium nitrogen (TAN) concentrations for liver, kidney, spleen, and muscle of ewes and fetuses were determined by an ion-exchange procedure. Samples of blood were collected before treatment, at 30, 90 and 150 minutes after treatment, and at death of the dam. The principal ewes had increasing BAN concentrations with time after drench, and their fetuses had significantly greater (P less than 0.01) BAN concentrations than fetuses from control ewes. All fetuses were alive after death of the dams and had lower TAN values than their dams. The differences in ammonia concentrations between ewes and fetuses were larger in the principal group than in the control group. Except for ewe muscle and fetal liver, all tissues of principals had significantly greater (P less than 0.01) TAN concentrations than those of controls. Muscle of principal ewes and hepatic tissues of their fetuses had greater (P less than 0.05) TAN concentrations than those of control ewes and their fetuses.
D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000506:poisoning; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism*; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism*
D000641:Ammonia; D014508:Urea; D009584:Nitrogen