Nitrogen handling in adult hypothalamic obese rats

1980 ◽  
Vol 238 (1) ◽  
pp. E32-E37
Author(s):  
C. Karakash ◽  
F. Rohner-Jeanrenaud ◽  
B. E. Hustvedt ◽  
B. Jeanrenaud

Several aspects of nitrogen metabolism have been studied in adult nonhyperphagic, hyperinsulinemic, ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)-lesioned rats. Ten days postoperatively, VMH-lesioned rats had high plasma levels of urea and low plasma tyrosine, while plasma alanine, glutamine, total amino acid, and protein levels were unaltered. Urea production and excretion were increased in VMH-lesioned rats. Increased urea synthesis could not be attributed to enhanced peripheral release of amino acids. In vitro, measurements of hepatic amino acid uptake and liver protein synthesis did not reveal any disturbances of these processes in VMH-lesioned rats. However, hepatic transamination and lipogenesis from amino acids were increased following VMH-lesions. In addition to the hyperinsulinemia previously reported to occur in nonhyperphagic VMH-lesioned rats, this study showed an increased glucagon secretion from perfused pancreases of these animals. These data together suggest that the excess of the two hormones at the portal vein of VMH-lesioned rats would favor uptake and deamination of amino acids, their diversion to lipid synthesis and possibly other pathways, with consequent increase in urea production and reduced supply of amino acids to peripheral tissues available for nitrogen retention.

1985 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Deferrari ◽  
Giacomo Garibotto ◽  
Cristina Robaudo ◽  
Alberto Canepa ◽  
Serena Bagnasco ◽  
...  

1. Leg metabolism of amino acids and ammonia in the postabsorptive state was evaluated in 10 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and in 10 patients with normal renal function (controls) by measuring the arterial-femoral venous (A-FV) differences for free amino acids and ammonia. 2. Total amino acid release from the leg and alanine and glutamine release, which accounts for the greatest amount of the total amino acid release, are similar in patients and controls. Total amino acid uptake from the arterial blood and glutamate uptake, which is the amino acid extracted at the highest rate, are comparable in both groups. Taken together these data, in addition to the similarity of A-FV differences for proteolytic markers, namely tyrosine, phenylalanine and histidine, suggest that protein breakdown in peripheral tissues is not increased in patients with CRF. 3. In CRF selective metabolic abnormalities for some amino acids are evident. Whilst only the A-FV differences for valine, leucine and isoleucine are decreased, additional alterations are observed by relating the A-FV difference for each amino acid to that of proteolytic markers. Such a procedure demonstrates that in CRF histidine release relative to that of proteolytic markers is reduced, whereas proline and arginine release is increased. 4. In CRF the reduced release of some amino acids, mainly branched-chain amino acids, by the leg probably affects the pattern of circulating amino acids. 5. Finally, both in patients and in controls a significant uptake of ammonia is observed; the ammonia uptake is related to arterial levels of this metabolite, confirming the role of peripheral tissues in removing ammonia from circulation.


1976 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Turner ◽  
P. J. Reeds ◽  
K. A. Munday

1. Net amino acid uptake, and incorporation into protein have been measured in vitro in the presence and absence of porcine growth hormone (GH) in muscle from intact rabbits fed for 5 d on low-protein (LP), protein-free (PF) or control diets.2. In muscle from control and LP animals GH had no effect on the net amino acid uptake but stimulated amino acid incorporation into protein, although this response was less in LP animals than in control animals.3. In muscle from PF animals, GH stimulated both amino acid incorporation into protein and the net amino acid uptake, a type of response which also occurs in hypophysectomized animals. The magnitude of the effect of GH on the incorporation of amino acids into protein was reduced in muscle from PF animals.4. The effect of GH on the net amino acid uptake in PF animals was completely blocked by cycloheximide; the uptake effect of GH in these animals was dependent therefore on de novo protein synthesis.5. It is proposed that in the adult the role of growth hormone in protein metabolism is to sustain cellular protein synthesis when there is a decrease in the level of substrate amino acids, similar to that which occurs during a short-term fast or when the dietary protein intake is inadequate.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. F1015-F1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Boon ◽  
P. J. Blommaart ◽  
A. J. Meijer ◽  
W. H. Lamers ◽  
A. C. Schoolwerth

To examine further the role of the liver in acid-base homeostasis, we studied hepatic amino acid uptake and urea synthesis in rats in vivo during acute acidosis and alkalosis, induced by infusion of 1.8 mmol of HCl or NaHCO3 over 3 h. Amino acids and NH4+ were measured in portal vein, hepatic vein, and aortic plasma, and arteriovenous differences of amino acids and urinary urea and NH4+ excretion were measured. In acidosis, urinary urea excretion was reduced 36% (P < 0.01), whereas urinary NH4+ excretion increased ninefold (P < 0.01), but the sum of urea and NH4+ excretion was unchanged. Total hepatic amino acid uptake, as determined from arteriovenous differences, was decreased by 63% (P < 0.01) in acidosis, with the major effect being noted with alanine and glycine. Only glutamine was released in both acidosis and alkalosis but was not significantly different in the two conditions. Since intracellular concentrations of readily transportable amino acids were not different at low pH despite accelerated protein degradation, these results indicate that hepatic amino acid transport was inhibited markedly and sufficiently to explain the observed decrease in urea synthesis. Total hepatic vein amino acid content was greater in acidosis than alkalosis (P < 0.01). Directly or indirectly, by conversion to glutamine elsewhere, these increased amino acids were degraded in kidney and accounted for the ninefold increase in urinary NH4+ excretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Parasitology ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Halton

SummaryAn in vitro investigation has been made of the relative roles of the gut and tegument in the absorption of the neutral amino acids L-alanine and L-leucine by a marine fish-gill parasite, Diclidophora merlangi. The use of ligatures to preclude oral ingestion of trace-labelled medium has proved inadequate, invariably damaging the tegument, as revealed by stereoscan electron microscopy, and resulting in artifactual levels of absorption. Three alternative procedures have given consistently reliable data on the route of entry of low molecular weight substrates. (1) Ultrastructural examination of worms previously incubated in electron-dense cationic tracers has shown that, in vitro, there is no oral intake of sea water. (2) The suspending of worms in trace-labelled medium with the mouth out of the medium and comparing amino acid uptake with that of worms totally immersed in medium has revealed no statistically significant difference in the absorption levels. (3) Application of section (freeze-dried) auto-radiography to detect diffusible isotope has demonstrated directly transtegumental absorption of a neutral amino acid. It is concluded from these experiments that Diclidophora has a tegumental transport system for absorbing certain neutral amino acids, and whilst, clearly, the worm is sanguinivorous and digests blood in a well-developed gut, it may also be capable of supplementing this diet with low molecular weight organic nutrient absorbed directly from sea water via the tegument.


1977 ◽  
Vol 166 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Palou ◽  
L Arola ◽  
M Alemany

Plasma amino acid concentrations were determined in virgin female rats, in pregnant rats (12 and 21 days after impregnation) and in 21-day foetuses. The total amino acid concentration in plasma decreases significantly with pregnancy, being lower at 12 than at 21 days. Alanine, glutamine+glutamate and other ‘gluconeogenic’ amino acids decrease dramatically by mid-term, but regain their original concentrations at the end of the pregnancy. With most other amino acids, mainly the essential ones, the trend is towards lower concentrations which are maintained throughout pregnancy. These data agree with known nitrogen-conservation schemes in pregnancy and with the important demands on amino acids provoked by foetal growth. In the 21-day foetuses, concentrations of individual amino acids are considerably higher than in their mothers, with high plasma foetal/maternal concentration ratios, especially for lysine, phenylalanine and hydroxy-proline, suggesting active protein biosynthesis and turnover. All other amino acids also have high concentration ratios, presumably owing to their requirement by the foetuses for growth. Alanine, glutamine+glutamate, asparagine+aspartate, glycine, serine and threonine form a lower proportion of the total amino acids in foetuses than in the virgin controls or pregnant rats, probably owing to their role primarily in energy metabolism in the adults. The results indicate that at this phase of foetal growth, the placental amino acid uptake is considerable and seems to be higher than immediately before birth.


1978 ◽  
Vol 174 (3) ◽  
pp. 931-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Kelly ◽  
T C Johnson

The phenylalanine analogues p-chlorophenylalanine and alpha-methylphenylalanine were used to inhibit phenylalanine hydroxylase in animal models for phenylketonuria. The present report examines the affects of these analogues on the metabolism of neuroblastoma cells. p-Chlorophenylalanine inhibited growth and was toxic to neuroblastoma cells. Although in vivo this analogue increased cell monoribosomes by 42%, it did not significantly affect poly(U)-directed protein synthesis in vitro. P-Chlorophenylalanine did not compete with phenylalanine or tyrosine for aminoacylation of tRNA and was therefore not substituted for those amino acids in nascent polypeptides. The initial cellular uptake of various large neutral amino acids was inhibited by this analogue but did not affect the flux of amino acids already in the cell; this suggested that an alteration of the cell's amino acid pools was not responsible for the cytotoxicity of the analogues. In contrast with p-chlorophenylalanine, alpha-methylphenylalanine did not exert these direct toxic effects because the administration of alpha-methylphenylalanine in vivo did not affect brain polyribosomes and a comparable concentration of this analogue was neither growth inhibitory nor cytotoxic to neuroblastoma cells in culture. The suitability of each analogue as an inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase in animal models for phenylketonuria is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Norton ◽  
Simon C Cork ◽  
Aldara Martin Alonso ◽  
Anna G Roberts ◽  
Yateen S Patel ◽  
...  

Abstract The existence of a vago-vagal entero-pancreatic pathway, where sensory information from the gut can signal via vagal afferents to the brain to mediate changes in pancreatic function, has been recognised for over a century, and investigated extensively with regards to pancreatic exocrine secretions. However, the role of such pathways in pancreatic endocrine secretions has received less attention. The secretion of insulin and glucagon in response to protein and amino acids is conserved across species. This effect is thought to promote amino acid uptake into tissues without concomitant hypoglycaemia. We found that the essential amino acid L-Phenylalanine potently stimulates glucagon secretion, even when administered directly into the gut at small doses unlikely to significantly raise systematic levels. Administration of L-Phenylalanine also increased neuronal activation in the rat and mouse dorsal vagal complex, the central nervous system region directly innervated by vagal afferents. L-Phenylalanine modulates the activity of the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR), a nutrient sensor more commonly known for its role in calcium homeostasis, but which is thought to also act as a sensor of aromatic amino acids. Interestingly, the CaSR is one of the few nutrient sensors expressed in vagal afferents and in vitro calcium imaging revealed CaSR synthetic agonists activate subpopulations of vagal afferents. The role of CaSR in vivo was investigated further by selectively knocking down the CaSR in vagal afferents. Briefly, CaSR floxed mice were bilaterally injected directly into the nodose ganglion, where the cell bodies of vagal afferents are located, with a cre expressing adeno-associated virus. CaSR knockdown did not interfere with normal food intake, nor the vagal-dependent anorectic effects of cholecystokinin, or of L-Phenylalanine. However, it did blunt protein-induced glucagon secretion, suggesting involvement of the CaSR in the vagus nerve in protein sensing and glucose homeostasis. Future studies are required to determine the importance of vagal CaSR in protein induced pancreatic endocrine secretions, and the possibility of exploiting this circuit to develop new anti-diabetic therapies.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (1) ◽  
pp. F198-F202 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Boon ◽  
P. J. Blommaart ◽  
A. J. Meijer ◽  
W. H. Lamers ◽  
A. C. Schoolwerth

In a previous paper, we showed that an inhibition of amino acid transport across the liver plasma membrane is responsible for the decrease in urea synthesis in acute metabolic acidosis. We have now studied the mechanism responsible for the decline in urea synthesis in chronic acidosis. Chronic metabolic acidosis and alkalosis were induced by feeding three groups of rats HCl, NH4Cl, and NaHCO3 (8 mmol/day) for 7 days. Amino acids and NH4+ were measured in portal vein, hepatic vein, and aortic plasma, and arteriovenous differences were calculated. The rates of urinary urea and NH4+ excretion were also determined. Hepatic amino acid consumption was lower in both HCl and NH4Cl acidosis compared with NaHCO3-fed rats. Glutamine release was not different in the three conditions. Because intrahepatic concentrations of amino acids and intracellular protein degradation were similar under these conditions, it can be concluded that at low blood pH amino acid catabolism may be inhibited and might explain the observed decrease in urea excretion in HCl, but not NH4Cl, acidosis; urea excretion was comparable in the NH4Cl and NaHCO3 groups presumably because the increased NH4+ load in the former group was processed, uninhibited, to urea. Amino acids not used by the liver in acidosis could account for the 25-fold increase in NH4+ excretion in HCl and NH4Cl compared with alkalosis (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that urea synthesis is decreased in chronic HCl acidosis. They show that urea synthesis is controlled in chronic, as in acute, acidosis by amino acid uptake by the liver and/or intrahepatic degradation and that the ornithine cycle per se has only minor control of acid-base homeostasis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1822-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Mourtzakis ◽  
Bengt Saltin ◽  
Terry Graham ◽  
Henriette Pilegaard

During prolonged exercise, carbohydrate oxidation may result from decreased pyruvate production and increased fatty acid supply and ultimately lead to reduced pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. Pyruvate also interacts with the amino acids alanine, glutamine, and glutamate, whereby the decline in pyruvate production could affect tricarboxycylic acid cycle flux as well as gluconeogenesis. To enhance our understanding of these interactions, we studied the time course of changes in substrate utilization in six men who cycled at 44 ± 1% peak oxygen consumption (mean ± SE) until exhaustion (exhaustion at 3 h 23 min ± 11 min). Femoral arterial and venous blood, blood flow measurements, and muscle samples were obtained hourly during exercise and recovery (3 h). Carbohydrate oxidation peaked at 30 min of exercise and subsequently decreased for the remainder of the exercise bout ( P < 0.05). PDH activity peaked at 2 h of exercise, whereas pyruvate production peaked at 1 h of exercise and was reduced (∼30%) thereafter, suggesting that pyruvate availability primarily accounted for reduced carbohydrate oxidation. Increased free fatty acid uptake ( P < 0.05) was also associated with decreasing PDH activity ( P < 0.05) and increased PDH kinase 4 mRNA ( P < 0.05) during exercise and recovery. At 1 h of exercise, pyruvate production was greatest and was closely linked to glutamate, which was the predominant amino acid taken up during exercise and recovery. Alanine and glutamine were also associated with pyruvate metabolism, and they comprised ∼68% of total amino-acid release during exercise and recovery. Thus reduced pyruvate production was primarily associated with reduced carbohydrate oxidation, whereas the greatest production of pyruvate was related to glutamate, glutamine, and alanine metabolism in early exercise.


1979 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 487-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Schedl ◽  
D. Burston ◽  
Elizabeth Taylor ◽  
D. M. Matthews

1. This paper reports an investigation of the effects of semistarvation and starvation on the kinetics of uptake of an amino acid, l-leucine, and a hydrolysis-resistant dipeptide, Gly-Sar, by rings of everted hamster jejunum and ileum in vitro. The concentration range used was 0·1–100 mmol/l. Total uptake, non-mediated uptake and Kt and Vmax. for mediated influx were estimated. 2. At many concentrations, both semistarvation and starvation caused a decrease in uptake of the peptide and the amino acid. Uptake of the peptide was more severely depressed than that of the amino acid. In control animals, the jejunum was the site of maximal uptake of Gly-Sar, and the ileum the site of maximal uptake of leucine. In semistarved and starved animals, the ileum became the site of maximal uptake of Gly-Sar, as it was for leucine. The effects of semistarvation and starvation on uptake were similar whether this was expressed per unit wt. or per unit length, though they were accentuated when expressed per unit length, since the intestine lost weight per unit length. 3. The main effect of semistarvation and starvation on the kinetics of mediated influx of the amino acid and the peptide was to reduce Vmax. in both jejunum and ileum. This effect was compatible with a reduction in the number of mediated transport sites for both the amino acid and the peptide. The observation that mediated influx of the peptide was more severely affected than that of the amino acid supports the hypothesis of the independence of the mechanisms for intestinal uptake of peptides and amino acids.


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