Kinetics and metabolic effects of orally administered ornithine α-ketoglutarate in healthy subjects fed with a standardized regimen

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In accordance with previous results obtained with traumatized patients, ornithine α-ketoglutarate (OKG) was orally administered to 10 healthy subjects fed with a standardized regimen. Six similarly fed control subjects received only water. Plasma and 24-h urinary amino acids and α-ketoglutarate, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, and urine urea were all measured. After administration of ornithine α-ketoglutarate, the rapid decrease in blood ornithine to basal values, the absence of any increase in plasma α-ketoglutarate levels, and the minimal increase in ornithine, α-ketoglutarate, and urea urinary elimination, all indicated intense metabolism and utilization of the two compounds. These results suggest that the hyperornithinemia observed in 4-h fasting, traumatized patients receiving ornithine α-ketoglutarate reflects a metabolic perturbation in the utilization of this amino acid after trauma, rather than a hypothetical slow utilization. On the other hand, ornithine α-ketoglutarate induced an increase in insulin levels causing hypoglycemia and probably a decrease in plasma levels of several amino acids.