title: Effects of removal of the forestomach and caecum on the utilization of dietary urea in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) given two different diets.
abstract: 1. Surgical removal of the forestomach, the caecum or both the forestomach and the caecum, was performed on growing male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) given a low-or high-fibre diet. 2. In Expt 1, 18 d after surgery, the hamsters which were given a concentrate before surgery were given an experimental low-fibre diet containing urea or [15N] urea (10 g/kg diet) for 9 d. In Expt 2, 5 d after surgery, the hamsters which were given a forage diet before surgery were adopted to an experimental high-fibre diet containing urea (10 g/kg) and dried Italian ryegrass (Lolium italicum) powder (400 g/kg diet) for 5 d, and 10 d after surgery, given a diet containing [15N]urea (10 g/kg diet) for 9 d. 3. In both experiments, removal of the caecum resulted in a significant lowering of both weight-gain and the digestibility of the dry matter, and removal of the forestomach resulted in a significant decrease of both accumulation of 15N in the body protein and proportion of 15N retained in the body protein as a proportion of the administered dosage. 4. The effect of removal of the caecum on the utilization of [15N] urea was not apparent in Expt 1, but the utilization of [15N] urea was significantly lowered by removal of the caecum in Expt 2. 5. These results suggest that the caecum may play a more important role in food utilization than the forestomach. However, the forestomach of the golden hamster plays a significant role in the utilization of dietary urea. It is presumed that the role of the caecum in the utilization of urea may vary under different dietary conditions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002432:Cecum / Q000378:metabolism*; D006224:Cricetinae / Q000378:metabolism*; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004063:Digestion; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D011506:Proteins; D014508:Urea