Protein quality, food intake and growth in normal and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma-bearing rats

The effect of supplementation of dietary gluten with its first and second limiting amino acids (lysine and threonine) on food intake and growth was examined in normal and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma-bearing male, Sprague-Dawley rats. Two diets were used. Diet G had 16.4% gluten and diet GLT had (%): gluten 15, L-lysine.HCl 1, and L-threonine, 0.4 Normal and tumor-bearing animals (7) were fed each diet from day 7 until day 20 post-transplant of the tumor bearers. Food intake in the tumor-bearers was lower than that of controls (P < 0.01) from day 10 post-transplant. Normal animals fed diet GLT ate more than those fed diet G throughout the experiment. A similar effect of protein quality on the food intake of tumor-bearers was seen until day 15 post-transplant; thereafter, food intake of tumor-bearers was similar on both diets. Tumor-bearing animals had lower (P < 0.01) protein and lipid contents than controls on both diets. Diet had no effect on tumor weight or content of protein, lipid, DNA or RNA. Protein and lipid contents of hosts and controls on diet GLT were higher (P < 0.5) than for their counterparts on diet G.