Gender and dietary amino acid supplementation influence the plasma and whole blood taurine status of taurine-depleted cats
Trautwein, E.A.; Hayes, K.C.
Journal of Nutrition 121(11 Suppl): S173-S174
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3166 PMID: 1941219 Document Number: 368439
After 18 weeks on a dry commercial diet with 0.12% taurine 10 male (5 castrated) and 9 female cats were given a purified diet with 0.05% taurine for 8 weeks. Then the purified diet was given as before or free from taurine for 100 days (period 1). For the next 150 days the purified diet was supplemented with arginine 0.1, threonine 0.2, methionine 0.3 and cystine 0.5% (period 2). Finally they were returned to the initial commercial diet (period 3). Blood was sampled on days 20, 40 and 100 in period 1, 28 and 150 in period 2 and 92 in period 3. Results suggested that female gender decreased the rate of taurine depletion in plasma and whole blood, and also that normal range of whole blood taurine is 300 to 400 micro mol/litre. In general, whole blood taurine was stable and declined only during prolonged depletion, whereas plasma taurine fluctuated acutely depending on dietary availability. Supplementation with arginine and threonine in combination with methionine and cystine improved plasma and whole blood taurine status in cats deprived of taurine.