Laboratory of Metabolic Manipulation of Herbivorous Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P. R. China.
Food Funct. 2019 Apr 17;10(4):1903-1914. doi: 10.1039/c8fo01618f.
This study explores the roles of l-arginine (Arg) and N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) supplementation in the diet in intestine damage, energy state, as well as the associated protein kinase signaling pathways activated by AMP in intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR) suckling lambs. A total of 48 newborn Hu lambs with a normal birth weight (CON) and those with IUGR were randomly divided into four groups, CON, IUGR, IUGR + 1% Arg, and IUGR + 0.1% NCG, with 12 animals in each group. All animals were fed for 21 days, from day 7-28, following birth. Our results indicated that the IUGR suckling Hu lambs in the Arg or NCG groups were associated with reduced (P < 0.05) plasma diamine oxidase (DAO) and d-lactic acid levels compared with IUGR suckling lambs. In addition, IUGR suckling Hu lambs in the Arg or NCG group were also linked with a higher (P < 0.05) villous height : crypt depth ratio (VCR), as well as villous height in the duodenum relative to those obtained for IUGR suckling Hu lambs. Relative to IUGR suckling Hu lambs, IUGR suckling Hu lambs in the Arg or NCG groups were found to have higher (P < 0.05) ATP, ADP and TAN contents, and AEC levels, and smaller (P < 0.05) AMP : ATP ratios in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Moreover, IUGR suckling Hu lambs in the Arg or NCG group were also linked with higher citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and alpha-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activities in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum compared with those found for IUGR suckling Hu lambs (P < 0.05), except for the activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase in the ileum. IUGR suckling Hu lambs in the Arg or NCG group were linked with a lower ratio of pAMPKα/tAMPKα and protein expression of Sirt1 and PGC1α in the ileum relative to those of the IUGR suckling Hu lambs (P < 0.05). Taken together, these findings show that supplementation of NCG and Arg in the diet can ameliorate intestinal injury, improve energy status, motivate key enzyme activities in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and also inhibit the AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in IUGR suckling Hu lambs.
本研究探讨了左旋精氨酸（Arg）和 N-碳酰谷氨酸（NCG）在饮食中的补充作用，及其对宫内发育迟缓（IUGR）羔羊肠道损伤、能量状态的影响，以及 AMP 激活的相关蛋白激酶信号通路。总共 48 只出生体重正常（CON）和 IUGR 的新生湖羊被随机分为 4 组，CON、IUGR、IUGR+1%Arg 和 IUGR+0.1%NCG，每组 12 只动物。所有动物均在出生后第 7-28 天进行 21 天的喂养。结果表明，与 IUGR 羔羊相比，Arg 或 NCG 组 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的血浆二胺氧化酶（DAO）和 D-乳酸水平降低（P<0.05）。此外，Arg 或 NCG 组 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的绒毛高度与隐窝深度比（VCR）以及十二指肠绒毛高度也高于 IUGR 哺乳羔羊。与 IUGR 哺乳羔羊相比，Arg 或 NCG 组 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的十二指肠、空肠和回肠中 ATP、ADP 和 TAN 含量以及 AEC 水平较高（P<0.05），AMP:ATP 比值较小（P<0.05）。此外，与 IUGR 哺乳羔羊相比，Arg 或 NCG 组 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的十二指肠、空肠和回肠中柠檬酸合酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶和α-酮戊二酸脱氢酶复合体的活性也较高（P<0.05），除回肠中的异柠檬酸脱氢酶活性外。Arg 或 NCG 组 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的 pAMPKα/tAMPKα 比值和 Sirt1、PGC1α 蛋白表达均低于 IUGR 哺乳羔羊（P<0.05）。综上所述，这些发现表明，在饮食中补充 NCG 和 Arg 可以改善 IUGR 哺乳羔羊的肠道损伤，改善能量状态，促进三羧酸（TCA）循环中关键酶的活性，并抑制 AMP 激活的蛋白激酶信号通路。
