Oral and intravenous l-[1-13 C]phenylalanine delivery measure similar rates of elimination when gastric emptying and splanchnic extraction are accounted for in adult mixed hounds.

There are few reported estimates of amino acid (AA) kinetics in adult mammals and none exist in adult dogs. The study objectives were to evaluate the use of oral isotope delivery in contrast to the more commonly used intravenous (IV) delivery to estimate AA kinetics in adult dogs and to estimate splanchnic extraction and gastric emptying using a commonly accepted mathematical model. Dogs received 25 × 1/2-hourly meals (13 g/kg BW/day) and either an oral or IV bolus of l-[1-(13) C]Phe (12 mg/kg BW). Blood samples were taken immediately before each feeding. Concentrations of plasma Phe were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. There were no differences in baseline plasma Phe concentrations (34 μm ± 0.61), Phe distribution volume, Phe pool size and rate constants between dogs when the tracer was administered IV or orally (p > 0.25). Decay curve for plasma l-[1-(13) C]Phe differed between IV and oral dosing protocols with IV dosing fit best using a two-compartment model. Phe disappeared from plasma at a mean rate of 2.8%/min. Estimates of gastric emptying and splanchnic extraction did not differ based on oral or IV tracer dosing when the decay curves were fit with the two-compartment model (p > 0.40). The half-life for gastric emptying was 18 min, and first-pass Phe extraction by the splanchnic bed was 24% of the dietary Phe. These results suggest that oral isotope dosing can be used as an alternative to IV isotope dosing in studies that utilize a primed, constant dosing approach to measure protein and amino acid kinetics.