Biomaterial Database

Valine requirement of the growing kitten. 1977

A J Hardy, and J G Morris, and Q R Rogers

The valine requirement of the kitten was studied using a crossover design with two groups of three weanling kittens. The kittens were fed a semipurified diet containing only free amino acids as a source of nitrogen containing 0.0%, 0.6%, or 1.8% valine. The mean +/- SE of the linear components of growth (g/day) of the six kittens were respectively:-13.8 +/- 1.7, 17.3 +/- 4.8, and 15.3 +/- 2.6. Corresponding food intakes were 26.0 +/- 3.9, 50.4 +/- 2.5, and 44.0 +/- 1.5. Nitrogen balance was positive with the same amount retained for the two valine-containing diets while nitrogen balance was negative for the kittens fed the valine-free diet. Plasms valine dropped markedly when the dietary valine was decreased from 1.8% to 0.6% (363 +/- 59 versus 66 +/- 13 nmole/ml), and was further decreased (33 +/- 13) when the valine-free diet was fed. It does not appear that the valine requirement of the kitten exceeds 0.6% of a diet containing 25% fat. These results support the hypothesis that the high protein requirement of the kitten is not a result of a high requirement for all the essential amino acids, but a result of a high "nitrogen" requirement.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009584	Nitrogen	An element with the atomic symbol N, atomic number 7, and atomic weight [14.00643; 14.00728]. Nitrogen exists as a diatomic gas and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere by volume. It is a constituent of proteins and nucleic acids and found in all living cells.
D009751	Nutritional Requirements	The amounts of various substances in food needed by an organism to sustain healthy life.	Dietary Requirements,Nutrition Requirements,Dietary Requirement,Nutrition Requirement,Nutritional Requirement,Requirement, Dietary,Requirement, Nutrition,Requirement, Nutritional,Requirements, Dietary,Requirements, Nutrition,Requirements, Nutritional
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D004032	Diet	Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal.	Diets
D004041	Dietary Fats	Fats present in food, especially in animal products such as meat, meat products, butter, ghee. They are present in lower amounts in nuts, seeds, and avocados.	Fats, Dietary,Dietary Fat,Fat, Dietary
D004044	Dietary Proteins	Proteins obtained from foods. They are the main source of the ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS.	Proteins, Dietary,Dietary Protein,Protein, Dietary
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014633	Valine	A branched-chain essential amino acid that has stimulant activity. It promotes muscle growth and tissue repair. It is a precursor in the penicillin biosynthetic pathway.	L-Valine,L Valine