Evaluation of an Infusion Solution Enriched with Branched Chain Amino Acid in Parenteral Nutrition of Rats

Abstract

Nutritional effects of an infusion solution enriched with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) were investigated with young adult rats. Continuous infusion through a central venous cannula was carried out for 7 days with three kinds of solutions: 1) 21.8% glucose (S-1); 2) 18.6% glucose plus 2.50% amino acids based on human milk pattern (S-2), and 3) 18.6% glucose plus 2.58% amino acids enriched with BCAAs (S-3). Rats received daily 50 ml of the solution, containing 45 kcal and 200 mg N in S-2 and S-3. The body weights of rats in the S-2 and S-3 groups were only slightly reduced, while those of the S-1 group were extremely reduced. The rats were in positive nitrogen balance in the S-2 and S-3 groups on days 2-7. Its value was somewhat, but not significantly, larger in the S-3 group than in the S-2 group. The plasma BCAA levels determined 15 minutes after the end of infusion were higher in the S-3 group than in the S-2 group, but there was no significant difference except for the leucine level. The urinary levels of creatinine and 3-methylhistidine, the plasma levels of urea and glucose, and liver lipid content were similar in the S-2 and S-3 groups. The plasma albumin level was somewhat higher in the S-3 group than in the S-2 group. The present data suggest that an infusion solution enriched with BCAAs served to maintain the normal rats in desirable nutritional status.