Effects of Sulfaguanidine and Amino Acid Imbalances on the Induction of Niacin Deficiency in Mature and Immature Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Abstract

Effects of sulfaguanidine, leucine, or leucine plus isoleucine in a niacin free diet on body weight changes, liver weight, pyridine nucleotide concentrations, and activities of enzymes in mature female or immature Japanese quail were measured. The inclusion of .5% of sulfaguanidine or a high level of leucine in a niacin free diet had no influence during an 8-week period on liver pyridine nucleotide levels and the development of niacin deficiency symptoms in mature female quail. This would suggest that the mature female quail has a low requirement for dietary niacin. Immature quail were also tested to study the effects of amino acid imbalance on the induction of niacin deficiency. Although there was a marked reduction in body weight gains by the administration of leucine or leucine plus isoleucine, these treatments did not appear to accentuate niacin deficiency symptoms in these animals. Also pyridine nucleotide levels and malic enzyme, glyceral-dehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and aldolase activities in liver tissues were not affected by these treatments.