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Effects of Dietary Protein, Glycine, and Tryptophan on Iron Metabolism in the Growing Chick^1,2,

Department of Avian Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding diets low in protein, glycine, or tryptophan on iron metabolism in the growing chick. Three-day-old chicks, which were fed the experimental diets to 2 weeks of age, were given orally a solution of ⁵⁹FeSO₄ in order to determine the percentage of iron absorbed and excreted (determined by the fecal recovery method) and iron utilized and stored (determined by the radioactivity retained per unit liver, gastrocnemius muscle, and whole blood) 7 days post dose administration. The feeding of diets low in protein (5.4%, 8.5% or 10.8%) or tryptophan (0.12%) but adequate in iron to growing chicks caused: a marked reduction in growth, rate of erthropoiesis, and percentage iron absorption; an excessive increase in iron deposited in the liver and muscle, and percentage iron collected in the excreta; and anemia which was attributed to the deficiency of protein or tryptophan, respectively, in the diets fed. The feeding of diets low in glycine (0.33%) but adequate in iron caused: a marked reduction in growth and percentage iron absorption, and a transitory increase in percentage of iron excreted without causing anemia or affecting the distribution of absorbed iron in liver, muscle and blood. The total plasma protein concentration was reduced in protein deficient chicks but was not affected by a tryptophan or glycine deficiency.

KEY WORDS: • iron • protein • glycine • tryptophan • deficiency • absorption • excretion

¹ Adnan Mouhamad-Ali Miski was supported by a scholarship from the Lebanese National Research Council for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 8281, Beirut, Lebanon.

² Reprint requests should be submitted to F. H. Kratzer.

³ Nutrition researcher at the Lebanese National Research Council for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 8281, Beirut, Lebanon.

Manuscript received 11 August 1975.