Cation-Anion Balance in Relation to Arginine Metabolism in the Chick

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Abstract
Dietary cations supplied as salts of metabolizable acids have been reported previously to improve growth rate of chicks and the balance of amino acids in plasma and muscle. In this study chicks were fed a diet that contained 35% casein, 0.5% methionine and 1.5% glycine as sources of amino acids. Supplements of either arginine or potassium acetate stimulated growth rate, increased plasma and kidney arginine and decreased plasma and kidney lysine. Arginine (guanido-14C) was administered intraperitoneally and carbon dioxide and excreta were collected during a 6-hour period. Recovery of the 14C-dose as CO2 was 11.1, 0.86 and 5.3%, respectively, for no supplement, 3.6% potassium acetate and 1.2% arginine. The respective percentages of the 14C-dose in the excreta were 11.9, 9.0 and 13.2. Administration of 14C-urea also gave rise to labeled CO2. Potassium acetate supplementation increased incorporation of labeled arginine into the protein of muscle and decreased kidney arginase activity. It was concluded that excess cations exert a beneficial effect by depressing kidney arginase activity. Although the mechanism by which kidney arginase is decreased is unclear, there is a concomitant reduction in the concentration of lysine in kidney. Bacterial urease appears to be involved in the catabolism of arginine and its action appears to be inhibited by potassium acetate.

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