Effect of acute uremia on protein degradation and amino acid release in the rat hemicorpus.

Protein synthesis and degradation and net uptake and release of amino acids and minerals were investigated in the perfused hemicorpus of acutely uremic and sham-operated control Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats underwent bilateral nephrectomy or sham surgery and were studied 30 hours after surgery. The uremic rats displayed greater urea nitrogen appearance (net urea generation), lower plasma and muscle intracellular concentrations of most amino acids, and increased protein degradation in the hemicorpus as compared with control animals. Muscle protein synthesis was slightly but not significantly decreased in the uremic animals as compared with controls. There was greater net release of phenylalanine, tyrosine, alanine, total nonessential amino acids, total amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus from the perfused hemicorpus of uremic rats and greater release of citrulline from sham rats. Muscle ATP, creatine phosphate, and cyclic AMP, and muscle cathepsin B1, cathepsin D, and alkaline protease activities were not different in the uremic and control rats. These data provide evidence that acutely uremic rats have increased muscle protein wasting which is due to enhanced protein degradation. The cause of the increased muscle protein degradation is unknown.