Ammonia absorption from the isolated reticulo-rumen of sheep

In fistulated sheep (50-60 kg live weight) the absorption of ammonia from the reticulo-rumen in vivo was studied applying the technique of the temporarily isolated and washed reticulo-rumen. It was found that, at ammonia concentrations between 3 and 18 mM, ammonia efflux and ammonia net absorption were linearly related to the ammonia concentration in the artificial rumen fluid, whereas influx of ammonia nitrogen from endogenous sources remained almost constant. When the concentration of unionized NH3 was changed at the ratio 1:10:76 by varying the pH from 5.8 to 6.8 and 7.7, ammonia net absorption did not reflect the concentration ratio of unionized NH3, indicating either flux of NH4+ ions or titration of NH4+ to NH3 at the absorptive surface. In the experiments with buffer solutions without ammonium salts and extended over 2 h, ammonia concentrations in the artificial rumen fluid increased due to endogenous nitrogen influx and reached levels far beyond the expected plateau concentration of about 2 mM. Labelling of the N pool in the isolated organ by 15N showed that ammonia efflux had almost ceased in these experiments. It is argued that as yet unidentified changes have taken place in the artificial rumen fluid during the experiment, but there is some reason to believe that volatile fatty acid (VFA) absorption was affecting ammonia absorption.