Effects of dietary arginine supplementation on protein turnover and tissue protein synthesis in scald-burn rats.

We assessed the effects of dietary arginine supplementation on protein turnover and organ protein synthesis in burned rats. Male Wistar rats weighing about 200 g underwent catheter jejunostomy and received scald burns covering 30% of the whole-body surface area. Animals were divided into a control group (n = 9) and an arginine group (n = 9) and continuously received total enteral nutrition for 7 d (250 kcal.kg-1.d-1, 1.72 gN.kg-1.d-1). Changes in body weight, plasma total protein, plasma albumin, urinary excretion of polyamines, nitrogen balance, whole-body protein kinetics, and tissue protein synthesis rates were determined. Whole-body protein kinetics and tissue fractional protein synthetic rates (Ks, percent/d) were estimated using a 24-h constant enteral infusion of 15N glycine on the last day. The changes in body weight were not different between the control and arginine groups. The urinary excretion of polyamines was higher in the arginine group than in the control group (P < 0.01). Burned rats enterally fed arginine-supplemented diet yielded significantly greater cumulative and daily nitrogen balance on days 3 and 5 than those fed a control diet (cumulative, P < 0.05; day 3, P < 0.01; day 5, P < 0.01). Whole-body protein turnover rate was significantly elevated in the arginine group as compared to that in the control group (P < 0.05). The Ks of rectus abdominis muscles were significantly increased in the arginine group in comparison to the control group (P < 0.01). We have shown that dietary arginine supplementation improved protein anabolism and attenuated muscle protein catabolism after thermal injury.