Dietary supplementation with L‐glutamine and AminoGut™ enhances protein synthesis in chicken skeletal muscle

Abstract

This study determined if dietary supplementation with 0% (Control), 1% L‐glutamine (Gln), 1% L‐glutamate (Glu), or 1% AminoGut™ (a mixture of Gln and Glu) on protein synthesis in chicken muscle. Within 8 h after hatching, 40 broiler chickens were assigned randomly to 4 dietary treatments (10 chicks per group): 0%, 1% Gln, 1% Glu, or 1% AminoGut™. All diets were made isonitrogenous by addition of L‐alanine. Chicks had free access to starter and grower diets between d 1–14 and d 15–35, respectively. On d 35, fractional rates of protein synthesis (FRPS) in tissues were measured using the 3H‐phenylalanine flooding dose technique. Compared with the control group, dietary supplementation with Gln or AminoGut™ did not affect (P>0.05) feed intake, but increased (P<0.05) Gln concentrations in plasma (26–28%). Gln and AminoGut™ supplementation enhanced (P<0.05) FRPS in breast muscle (33–37%) and leg muscle (28–32%), but did not affect (P>0.05) protein synthesis in liver or jejunum. Glu supplementation had no effect (P>0.05) on any of the measured parameters. These results indicate that dietary supplementation with Gln or AminoGut™ promotes chicken growth through stimulating muscle protein synthesis.