Development of Intrinsically Labeled Eggs and Poultry Meat for Use in Human Metabolic Research.
Stable isotope amino acids are regularly used as tracers to examine whole-body and muscle protein metabolism in humans. To accurately assess in vivo dietary protein digestion and absorption kinetics, the amino acid tracer is required to be incorporated within the dietary protein food source (i.e., intrinsically labeled protein).



We assessed the practicality of producing eggs and poultry meat intrinsically labeled with l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine through noninvasive oral tracer administration.



A specifically formulated diet containing 0.52% leucine was supplemented with 0.3% l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine and subsequently fed to 3 laying hens (Lohmann LSL Whites) for 55 d. On day 55, the hens were slaughtered and their meat, bones, and organs were harvested to determine tissue labeling. In Expt. 1, 2 healthy young men [mean ± SEM age: 22 ± 1.5 y; mean ± SEM body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)): 23.7 ± 0.5] ingested 18 g l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine-labeled egg protein. In Expt. 2, 2 healthy young men (mean ± SEM age: 20.0 ± 0.0 y; mean ± SEM BMI: 26.4 ± 3.1) ingested 28 g l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine-labeled poultry meat protein. Plasma samples (Expts. 1 and 2) and muscle biopsies (Expt. 1) were collected before and after labeled-food ingestion.



High tracer labeling [>20 mole percent excess (MPE)] in the eggs was obtained after 7 d and maintained throughout the feeding protocol (P < 0.05). Over a 55-d period, ∼850 g egg protein (145 eggs) was produced, with a mean ± SEM tracer enrichment of 22.0 ± 0.8 MPE. Mean ± SEM l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine enrichment in the meat was 9.6 ± 0.1 MPE. In Expts. 1 and 2, the consumption of labeled eggs and poultry meat protein increased plasma l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine enrichment, with mean ± SEM peak values of 6.7 ± 0.1 MPE and 4.0 ± 0.9 MPE, respectively. The mean ± SEM 5-h postprandial increase in myofibrillar l-[5,5,5-(2)H3]leucine enrichment after egg ingestion in healthy young men was 0.051 ± 0.008 MPE (Expt. 1).



We demonstrated the feasibility of producing intrinsically labeled eggs and poultry meat for use in human metabolic research.
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Stephan
0000-0001-8992-555X
S
van Vliet
Division of Nutritional Sciences.
Joseph W
JW
Beals
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Justin T
JT
Parel
Department of Animal Sciences.
Christina D
CD
Hanna
Department of Animal Sciences.
Pamela L
PL
Utterback
Department of Animal Sciences.
Anna C
AC
Dilger
Roy J Carver Biotechnology Center, and.
Alexander V
AV
Ulanov
Roy J Carver Biotechnology Center, and.
Zhong
Z
Li
Department of Family Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL; and.
Scott A
SA
Paluska
Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Daniel R
DR
Moore
Department of Animal Sciences.
Carl M
CM
Parsons
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, Division of Nutritional Sciences, naburd@illinois.edu.
Nicholas A
NA
Burd
D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D002645:Chickens; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004531:Eggs / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D052756:Nutritional Sciences; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D055815:Young Adult
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D011849:Radioactive Tracers
muscle mass; muscle protein synthesis; nutrition; protein digestion; stable isotopes