QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Easter, R. A. Articles by Baker, D. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Easter, R. A. Articles by Baker, D. H.

Nitrogen Metabolism, Tissue Carnosine Concentration and Blood Chemistry of Gravid Swine Fed Graded Levels of Histidine

Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign², Urbana, Illinois 61801

Three nitrogen metabolism experiments were conducted to determine the qualitative and quantitative histidine need of first-litter gilts during the last third of pregnancy. A completely purified, crystalline L-amino acid diet was formulated to meet all nutrient needs of the gravid gilt when 2 kg/day were fed. Experiments 1 and 2 were 9-day nitrogen balance studies, each consisting of three littermate gilts subjected to three levels of dietary L-histidine in a Latin square arrangement of treatments. Nitrogen retention was depresed, but not significantly, when less than 0.12% histidine was fed. Complete deletion of histidine, however, did not depress retention below that observed when 0.06% was fed. This suggested that either histidine biosynthesis or its release from endogenous reserves was confounding retention data. Therefore in a third experiment, two gilts were fed a histidine-free diet for 24 days in an attempt to deplete endogenous reserves. For comparison, two siblings were fed 0.12% histidine during this same period. Nitrogen retention tended to be lower for gilts fed the histidine-free diet during each of three consecutive collection periods. Blood hemoglobin, muscle and olfactory bulb carnosine concentration, plasma protein and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase activity, and blood urea nitrogen were all unaffected by treatment. Offspring from gilts fed the histidine-free diet had lower blood hemoglobin concentrations than their counterparts from gilts receiving histidine. A tentative recommendation of 0.12% dietary L-histidine would seem justified for gravid swine.

KEY WORDS: • histidine • carnosine • hemoglobin • pregnancy • transaminase activity

¹ Part of a thesis submitted to the Graduate College of the University of Illinois as partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

² Supported by funds provided by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station.

Manuscript received 3 May 1976.