title: Presence of tumour inhibits the normal post-operative response in arginine and NO production in non-cachectic mice.
abstract: We have described recently that cancer patients have low plasma arginine concentrations, even without weight loss being present, suggesting that decreased arginine availability may be a specific feature of the presence of tumour. As arginine is important in post-operative repair, we hypothesized that abnormalities in arginine metabolism in cancer lead to an aberrant post-operative response in arginine and NO metabolism. To investigate this, we studied post-operative alterations in arginine and NO production and the acute-phase response in MCA (methylcholanthrene) sarcoma-bearing mice. Controls, mice with small MCA tumours (<15% of carcass weight) and large MCA tumours (>15% of carcass weight) were studied, either with or without undergoing laparotomy. The stable isotopes L-[guanidino-(15)N(2)-(2)H(2)]arginine and L-[ureido-(15)N]citrulline were used to study whole-body arginine and NO production rates. SAP (serum amyloid P component) concentrations were measured to assess the acute-phase response. Significance was tested using Mann-Whitney U test. In healthy FVB mice, laparotomy significantly increased whole-body arginine production (from 42+/-3 to 54+/-3 nmol x 10 g(-1) of carcass weight x min(-1)), NO production (from 1.1+/-0.1 to 1.4+/-0.2 nmol x 10 g(-1) of carcass weight x min(-1)) and levels of SAP (from 4+/-1 to 115+/-23 ng/ml), whereas in all MCA tumour-bearing mice baseline values of arginine metabolism and SAP concentration were already elevated and the response to laparotomy was absent. In conclusion, MCA tumour-bearing mice had a disturbed post-operative metabolic response, as evidenced by attenuated post-operative arginine and NO production, concomitant with an attenuated acute-phase response. This indicates that altered arginine metabolism may be an important characteristic of the metabolic changes in cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yvonne L J
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Vissers
authors.forename: Maarten F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: von Meyenfeldt
authors.forename: Yvette C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Luiking
authors.forename: Cornelis H C
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Dejong
authors.forename: Wim A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Buurman
authors.forename: Nicolaas E P
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Deutz
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011897:Random Allocation; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine