Profiles of Serum Amino Acids to Assess Condition of Cotton Rats (Sigmodon hispidus)

We investigated the use of concentrations of blood-serum amino acids to assess status of dietary proteins of juvenile cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Eighteen juvenile animals were randomly assigned to isocaloric diets containing 4 or 16% crude protein, and serum concentrations of amino acids were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 1993-11, Vol.74 (4), p.943-951
Main Authors: Boren, Jon C., Lochmiller, Robert L., Vestey, Michelle R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acids
Biological and medical sciences
Diet
Dietary protein
Essential amino acids
Feeding. Feeding behavior
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Malnutrition
Mammals
Neutral amino acids
Nutrition
Nutritional status
Proteins
Rats
Rodents
Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
Young animals
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Summary:We investigated the use of concentrations of blood-serum amino acids to assess status of dietary proteins of juvenile cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Eighteen juvenile animals were randomly assigned to isocaloric diets containing 4 or 16% crude protein, and serum concentrations of amino acids were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography on days 30 and 45 of a 45-day feeding trial. Concentrations of methionine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, hydroxyproline, and branch-chain amino acids (BCAA) were depressed, whereas histidine and proline were elevated among low-protein-fed cotton rats. The glycine/(leucine + valine) and phenylalanine/tyrosine ratios were greater in serum of cotton rats fed low-protein diet, whereas the tyrosine/neutral amino acids (NAA) and tryptophan/NAA ratios were depressed. Concentration of several free amino acids in serum of juvenile cotton rats differed between 30- and 45-day samples. Because diet × sample interactions were significant for only tryptophan and hydroxyproline, temporal changes probably were a reflection of age-related alterations in developmental physiology and not effects of diet. Our results indicate that clinical profiles of selected amino acids in serum can provide a useful technique for assessing protein nutritional status and quality of diet in small mammals.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
1545-1542
0022-2372
DOI:10.2307/1382433