[Changes in the biosynthesis of keratin in the hair following supplementing rabbits' basic feed with methionine and...

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of methionine and lysine added to the basic feed on changes in the synthesis of keratin in rabbit hair. The experiment was carried out in winter on 80 bucks of the Danish White breed divided into 4 groups. Group I served as control, group I was gived a supplement of lysine, group III--methionine, and group IV--methionine and lysine. At 6 week intervals, hairs were shorn on a fixed area of the back, weighed, and their amino acid composition was determined using the paper chromatography method. The results obtained indicate that the combined action of lysine and methionine had a stimulating effect on the formation of keratin. The weight of the hairs obtained from group IV was higher by about 40% than that from group I (control). As far as the amino acid composition of hair keratin is concerned, a statistically significant increase was found in the contents of lysine with histidine and phenylalanine in group II, of cystine, phenylalanine and methionine with valine in group III, and of cystine and lysine with histidine and methionine in group IV. In groups II and III, a significant decrease of tyrosine was observed.