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Albumin Synthesis Rates Measured with [²H₅ring]Phenylalanine are not Responsive to Short-Term Intravenous Nutrients in Healthy Humans^1,2,

Peter E. Ballmer³, Margaret A. McNurlan^,4, Pia Essen^*, Susan E. Anderson and Peter J. Garlick^,4

Department of Medicine, University of Berne, Inselspital, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland ^* Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen AB2 9SB, Scotland

The response of albumin synthesis rates to infusion of either an intravenous nutrient mixture containing adequate nitrogen and energy or an isotonic saline infusion was compared in adult men. In a crossover study, nine healthy male subjects received a short-term (13.5-h) infusion of either the nutrient mixture or the saline solution, and albumin synthesis rates were measured by a stable isotope technique employing [²H₅ring]phenylalanine. Fractional rates of albumin synthesis did not differ significantly between treatments (saline, 7.3 ± 1.0%/d; intravenous nutrients, 7.8 ± 1.0%/d). The secretion time of albumin was significantly lower with intravenous nutrients infusion than with saline infusion. Plasma albumin concentration as well as prealbumin and transferrin concentrations decreased over time when subjects were infused with either saline or the nutrient solution as a result of dilution rather than a change in synthesis. These results suggest that albumin synthesis rate does not respond to short-term intravenous nutrients.

KEY WORDS: • protein synthesis • stable isotope • albumin • phenylalanine • humans

¹ Supported by the Swiss National Foundation, grant no. 32-31290.91 (P.E.B.), Nestec Ltd., Switzerland (M.A.M.), the Swedish Research Council, project no. 04210 (P.E.), and Grampian Research into Intestinal Disorders. The Rowett Research Institute is supported by the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom correspondence should be addessed.

⁴ Current address: Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

Manuscript received 18 April 1994. Revision accepted 18 August 1994.