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Nitrogen utilisation and ureogenesis as affected by dietary nucleic acid in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and turbot (Psetta maxima)

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Abstract

We evaluated the influence of dietary nucleic acid (NA) supplied either as an RNA extract (RNA) or as brewer's yeast (BY) on nitrogen (N) utilisation, N excretion and ureogenesis in a freshwater teleost, the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and a marine teleost, the turbot (Psetta maxima). Five diets containing two levels of NA or BY were formulated for each species, and fed to juvenile rainbow trout (initial body weight (IBW): 21.7 g) and turbot (IBW: 11.8 g) over 8–10 weeks. Besides growth and N utilisation, we monitored total ammonia-N and urea-N excretion rates and measured the activities of selected enzymes (glutamate dehydrogenase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, arginase and uricase). There was no clear N sparing effect of dietary NA or BY supplementations in either species. Feeding diets containing the RNA extract led to an almost two-fold increase in postprandial plasma urea-N and uric acid concentrations and in urea-N excretion rates. Glutamate dehydrogenase and arginase activities were decreased in fish fed NA supplemented diets. Uricase activities were inversely related to dietary NA levels. Data on N excretion and enzyme activities clearly suggest that ureogenesis is influenced by dietary NA in both species.

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  1. Laboratoire de Nutrition des Poissons, Unité mixte INRA-IFREMER, IFREMER, Centre de Brest, B.P 70, 29280, Plouzané, France

    V. Fournier, M.F. Gouillou-Coustans, R. Métailler, C. Vachot, J. Moriceau, H. Le Delliou, C. Huelvan, E. Desbruyeres & S.J. Kaushik

  2. Station d'Hydrobiologie, INRA, B.P 3, 64310, St Pée sur Nivelle, France

    V. Fournier, M.F. Gouillou-Coustans, R. Métailler, C. Vachot, J. Moriceau, H. Le Delliou, C. Huelvan, E. Desbruyeres & S.J. Kaushik

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  1. V. Fournier
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  2. M.F. Gouillou-Coustans
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  3. R. Métailler
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Fournier, V., Gouillou-Coustans, M., Métailler, R. et al. Nitrogen utilisation and ureogenesis as affected by dietary nucleic acid in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and turbot (Psetta maxima). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 26, 177–188 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025465603604

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