[Secretion of radioactively labeled amino acids into the digestive tract. I. Report 14C labeling of the pancreas after subcutaneous injection of 14C-leucine in rats].

4 different groups of experimental animals (rats) were injected 14C leucine at 4 different levels of specific 14C activity. Groups A and B received a dosis of leucine corresponding to the daily leucine requirements of the animals. The specific 14C activity was high in group A and low in group B. Groups C and D were injected a leucine dosis at a level of 10% from the groups A and B. the specific 14C activity being again high (group C) or low (group D). The results showed that a true evalution of the experiment could lnly be achieved if the values were related to the true rate of labeling (DPM/mg N or specific 14C leucine activity). The "percentage of the injected dosis" proved to be unsuitable for the analysis of the experimental results when taken as reference frame. The levels of specific 14leucine activity in free plasma leucine were in the same order as the specific activities of the injected solutions (C greater than A greater than D greater than B) whereas the order of specific 14C leucine activities in the TCE-soluble fraction of the pancreatic gland (TCE-trichloroacetic acid) was found to be A greater than C greater than B greater than D. This was due to the higher rate of 14C-leucine transfer into the protein fraction in the animals of group C and D receiving a normal supply of leucine. In these groups an equilibrium in specific 14C-leucine activity between the TCE-soluble and TCE-precipitable fractions was achieved 20-30 mins after injection. A relatively high degree of labelling of the pancreatic protein was noted as early as about 2 minutes after the injection of 14C-leucine. This indicates that in studies on amino acid absorption the secretion of those amino acids that are first absorbed and then resecreted via the pancreatic gland should always be taken into account.