The branched-chain amino acid requirement of parenterally fed neonatal piglets is less than the enteral requirement.

The requirements for branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), isoleucine, leucine and valine, in neonates have not been determined previously. Furthermore, the BCAA are considered to be catabolized primarily in the muscle and their metabolism in the small intestine has received little attention. In this study, the parenteral and enteral BCAA requirements were determined by the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) technique. Male Yorkshire piglets (n = 32) received amino acid-based diets containing adequate nutrients for 5 d. On d 6 and 8, the piglets were randomly assigned to one of the test diets containing a fixed ratio of BCAA (1:1.8:1.2; isoleucine/leucine/valine). Diets were infused continuously via intravenous catheters for parenterally fed piglets or via gastric catheters for enterally fed piglets. Phenylalanine kinetics and oxidation were determined from a 4-h primed, constant infusion of L-[1-(14)C]phenylalanine. Phenylalanine oxidation (% of dose) decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as the BCAA intake increased from 0.2 to 1.53 g/(kg. d) and from 0.2 to 2.64 g/(kg. d) for parenterally and enterally fed piglets, respectively, after which the phenylalanine oxidation was low and the slope was not different from zero. Using breakpoint analysis, the mean total BCAA requirements were determined to be 1.53 and 2.64 g/(kg. d) for parenterally and enterally fed piglets, respectively. Thus, the parenteral requirement for total BCAA is 56% of the enteral requirement, suggesting that 44% of total BCAA is extracted by first-pass splanchnic metabolism.