Dynamic aspects of ammonia and urea metabolism in sheep

Abstract

1. To obtain a quantitative model for nitrogen pathways in sheep, a study of ammonia and urea metabolism was made by using isotope dilution techniques with [15N]ammonium sulphate and [15N]urea and [14C]urea.2. Single injection and continuous infusion techniques of isotope dilution were used for measuring ammonia and urea entry rates.3. Sheep were given 33 g of chaffed lucerne hay every hour; the mean dietary N intake was 23.4 g/d.4. It was estimated that 59% of the dietary N was digested in the reticulo-rumen; 29% of the digested N was utilized as amino acids by the micro-organisms, and 71% was degraded to ammonia.5. Of the 14.2 g N/d entering the ruminal ammonia pool, 9.9 g N/d left and did not return to the pool, the difference of 4.3 g N/d represented recycling, largely within the rumen itself (through the pathways: ruminal ammonia → microbial protein → amino acids → ammonia).6. Urea was synthesized in the body at a rate of 18.4 g N/d from 2.0 g N/d of ammonia absorbed through the rumen wall and 16.4 g N/d apparently arising from deamination of amino acids and ammonia absorbed from the lower digestive tract.7. In the 24 h after intraruminal injection of [15N]ammonium salt, 40–50% of the N entering the plasma urea pool arose from ruminal ammonia; 26% of the15N injected was excreted in urinary N.8. Although 5.1g N/d as urea was degraded apparently in the digestive tract, only 1.2g N/d appeared in ruminal ammonia; it is suggested that the remainder may have been degraded in the lower digestive tract.9. A large proportion of the urea N entering the digestive tract is apparently degraded and absorbed and the ammonia incorporated in the pools of nitrogenous compounds that turn over only slowly. This may be a mechanism for the continuous supply to the liver of ammonia for these syntheses.10. There was incorporation of15N into bacterial fractions isolated from rumen contents after intraruminal and intravenous administration of [15N]ammonium salts and [15N]urea respectively.11. A model for N pathways in sheep is proposed and, for this diet, many of the pool sizes and turn-over rates have been either deduced or estimated directly.