Relationship of whole body nitrogen utilization to urea kinetics in growing steers

Urea kinetics were measured in 2 experiments, with treatments designed to change protein deposition by the animal. Our hypothesis was that increased protein deposition by cattle (Bos taurus) would reduce urea production and recycling to the gastrointestinal tract. Urea kinetics were measured by continuous intravenous infusion of (15)N(15)N-urea followed by measurement of enrichment in urinary urea at plateau. In Exp. 1, 6 steers (139 kg) were maintained in a model in which leucine was the most limiting AA. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial and were provided to steers in a 6 × 6 Latin square design. Leucine treatments included 0 or 4 g/d of abomasally supplemented L-leucine, and energy treatments included control, abomasal glucose infusion (382 g DM/d), or ruminal VFA infusion (150 g/d of acetic acid, 150 g/d of propionic acid, and 50 g/d of butyric acid). Leucine supplementation increased (P < 0.01) N retention, and energy supplementation tended to increase (P = 0.09) N retention without differences between glucose and VFA supplements (P = 0.86). Energy supplementation did not strikingly improve the efficiency of leucine utilization. Although both leucine and energy supplementation reduced urinary urea excretion (P ≤ 0.02), treatments did not affect urea production (P ≥ 0.34) or urea recycling to the gut (P ≥ 0.30). The magnitude of change in protein deposition may have been too small to significantly affect urea kinetics. In Exp. 2, 6 steers (168 kg) were maintained in a model wherein methionine was the most limiting AA. Steers were placed in 2 concurrent 3 × 3 Latin squares. Steers in one square were implanted with 24 mg of estradiol and 120 mg trenbolone acetate, and steers in the other square were not implanted. Treatments in each square were 0, 3, or 10 g/d of L-methionine. Implantation numerically improved N retention (P = 0.13) and reduced urea production rate (P = 0.03), urinary urea excretion (P < 0.01), and urea recycling to the gastrointestinal tract (P = 0.14). Effects of methionine were similar to implantation, but smaller in magnitude. When protein deposition by the body is increased markedly, ruminally available N in the diet may need to be increased to offset reductions in urea recycling.