Measurement of plasma protein synthesis rate in infant pig: an investigation of alternative tracer approaches.

To devise a new method to measure plasma protein synthesis, we tested the hypothesis that, when [U-13C]glucose is used to produce [U-13C]alanine, plasma pyruvate and alanine will be in isotopic equilibrium with the alanine used to synthesize plasma proteins. The incorporation of labeled leucine, lysine, and alanine into very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) apolipoprotein B (apoB)-100, albumin, and fibrinogen was measured in seven infant pigs by infusing [U-13C]glucose, [2H3]leucine, and [2H4]lysine. The plateau enrichments of plasma alanine (2.29 +/- 0.29), pyruvate (2.5 +/- 0.33), and apoB-alanine (2.33 +/- 0.25) were not different. The fractional synthesis rates of fibrinogen and albumin calculated using the isotopic enrichments of apoB-bound lysine, leucine, and alanine as the precursor were similar to those based on plasma alanine. These results suggest that the intrahepatic precursor alanine pool and plasma alanine were in isotopic equilibrium. Thus plasma protein synthesis can be measured by infusing [U-13C]glucose and using plasma alanine as precursor.