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Arginine-Deficient Diets Alter Plasma and Tissue Amino Acids in Young and Aged Rats¹

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111

Blood and urine metabolites were measured in two experiments for young (2-mo-old) and aged (20-mo-old) male Sprague-Dawley rats fed arginine-devoid diets made isonitrogenous to a control 1.12% arginine diet by adding alanine or glycine. Diet, fed for 7 or 13 d, had little effect on urinary or plasma ammonia and urea. Urinary orotate excretion was more than 40-fold higher in rats fed the arginine-deficient diets (P < 0.01) in both experiments. Source of nonessential N (alanine or glycine) in the arginine-deficient diets did not alter orotic acid excretion or plasma or urine ammonia or urea. Changes in plasma arginine, alanine and glycine concentrations reflected the levels of these amino acids in the diet. Tissue ornithine levels reflected dietary arginine level, but tissue citrulline was unaffected by dietary arginine. Glutamate and glutamine were greater in the plasma and liver of rats fed arginine-deficient diets. Plasma concentrations of glutamate and glutamine were positiviely correlated with urinary orotic acid excretion (P < 0.05) and ornithine and arginine were negatively correlated with orotic acid excretion (P < 0.01). Increased tissue glutamine may be related to the greater orotate excretion in rats fed arginine-devoid diets. The metabolic responses to dietary arginine deficiency were similar in young and aged rats. In general, concentrations of amino acids in plasma, liver and spleen were higher in aged rats.

KEY WORDS: • rats • arginine • orotic acid • glutamine

¹ Mention of a trade name, proprietary product or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be suitable.

² Present address: Mark Morris Associates, 5500 S.W. 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66606

Manuscript received 18 September 1990. Revision accepted 16 April 1991.

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