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Relationship of Arginine and Methionine to Creatine Formation in Chicks¹

Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30601

Addition of 2% arginine·HCl to a corn-soybean meal diet decreased the growth rate of chicks and increased muscle creatine, creatine excretion and fat concentration in the liver. A combination of arginine and glycine was more effective than arginine alone in decreasing growth and increasing creatine excretion. Glycocyamine in a quantity equimolar to 2% arginine·HCl was shown to be the most effective metabolite among those which were studied in reducing growth and increasing creatine excretion. Supplemental methionine at 0.2% was completely effective in alleviating the growth retardation of supplemental arginine, or arginine plus glycine; however, it was only partially effective in compensating the adverse growth effect of glycocyamine. Choline, betaine, creatine and combination of folic acid plus vitamin B₁₂ were shown to be similar to methionine in alleviating the adverse growth effect of supplemental arginine, while cystine was ineffective. Ornithine and urea fed singly or together did not have any adverse effect on growth. These results together with observations from previous experiments suggested that the adverse growth effect of excess arginine is due to increasing demand for methyl groups for formation of creatine which in turn leads to a deficiency of methionine, choline, folic acid or vitamin B₁₂ or some combination of these.

² Present address: College of Agriculture, Pahlavi University, Shiraz, Iran.

Manuscript received 23 December 1970.

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