[Effects of protein malnutrition on the metabolic response to trauma]

An experimental study was carried out in rats with the purpose to evaluate post-traumatic metabolic changes in the animals submitted to proteic malnutrition. Rats fed with diets with different contents were submitted to a standardized osteomuscular trauma and had nitrogen balance and body composition parameters analysed. After 21 days of feeding with normoproteic diet chow (N) or hypoproteic diet (D) all the animals were submitted to a dorsal skin wound (subgroups NJ (6) and DJ (6). Besides the skin wound part of the rats suffered also the osteomuscular trauma (subgroups NF (6) and DF (6). After 14 days of osteomuscular trauma all the rats were sacrificed and the carcasses were prepared for body composition measurements. Body weight, food intake, fecal and urinary total nitrogen were measured daily. It was observed that in rats with normoproteic diet the osteomuscular trauma promoted a decrease of food intake and loss of weight; in animals on hipoproteic diet it was observed an increase in total urinary nitrogen output and reduction of nitrogen balance. However, there was no reduction of food intake, loss of body weight and changes in composition of body compartments.