title: Effects of dietary ruminally protected L-carnitine on plasma metabolites in sheep following a sub-lethal ammonia challenge.
abstract: In Experiment 1, lambs were randomly assigned to 0.25, 1.00, 2.50, 5.00 and 10.00 g/day of dietary ruminally protected L-carnitine (RPLC) and were allowed to adapt for 20 days. Plasma samples were obtained at 0, 120 and 240 min after RPLC feeding. Plasma L-carnitine (LC) concentrations increased (p<0.01) for all levels of RPLC treatment, however, no differences were observed due to level of RPLC or time. Plasma LC concentrations were 27.05 and 57.83 micromol/l for baseline and pooled RPLC treated sheep, respectively. In Experiment 2, lambs were randomly assigned to 0, 0.125, 1.06 and 2.0 g/day of RPLC and were adapted as in Experiment 1. Plasma was collected at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 180, 240 and 360 min after oral ammonia challenge (300 mg/kg BW urea). Plasma LC concentrations increased with treatment relative to control (p<0.01). Plasma LC concentrations were 35.7, 44.2, 60.5 and 65.7 micromol/l for the 0, 0.125, 1.06 and 2.0 g/day treatments, respectively. RPLC tended to decrease plasma ammonia at some time points (time x treatment; p=0.10). We conclude that RPLC increased plasma LC concentrations, but had only modest effects on plasma ammonia concentrations and had no effect on plasma urea or glucose concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Woodworth
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D011897:Random Allocation; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012756:Sheep / Q000097:blood*; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000641:Ammonia; D014508:Urea; D002331:Carnitine