title: Metabolic adaptations to nitrogen excess in late gestation in rat.
abstract: Pregnant rats of 19th and 21st days were given an acute nitrogen overload produced by an infusion of either 0.2 M ammonium acetate or 0.2 M glutamine. Metabolic adaptations to nitrogen excess were studied measuring--in fetomaternal unit--non-protein nitrogen content and the activities of enzymes related with ammonia metabolism. Maternal and fetal plasma urea levels were increased by ammonium acetate treatment. Glutamine overload increased more the amino acid content in the mothers than in conceptus. As response to ammonium acetate treatment, glutamate dehydrogenase activity in liver was more sensitive in pregnant than in nonpregnant rats, suggesting more nitrogen incorporation into amino acids in pregnancy. Regarding glutamine synthetase activity, both treatments had an opposite effect except in kidney. The adenylate deaminase activity of pregnant rats was inhibited similarly to nonpregnant rats by nitrogen overloads, but stronger after glutamine infusion. Placenta and fetal metabolism were adjusted, as the dams, to lack of ammonia production by nitrogen overloads and to glutamine synthesis by ammonium acetate infusion.
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Enginyeria Química i Bioquímica, Facultat de Ciències Químiques, Universitat de Barcelona, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bladé
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arola
mesh_terms: D000659:AMP Deaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000085:Acetates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000596:Amino Acids; D005973:Glutamine; D014508:Urea; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; D000659:AMP Deaminase; D009584:Nitrogen; C018824:ammonium acetate