Nitrogen and protein metabolism and metabolites in plasma and urine of beef steers treated with somatotropin

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of daily injection of bovine somatotropin (bST) on the metabolism of N and 1-14C]leucine and on hormone and metabolite concentrations in growing beef steers. Injection of bST increased N retention (P less than .05) primarily through decreased (P less than .10) urinary N excretion. Plasma concentration of somatotropin, insulin and glucose increased (P less than .01) and of urea-N (P less than .01) and alpha-amino-N (P less than .10) decreased with bST compared with excipient injection. Total leucine flux was not altered by treatment; however, the partition of flux was. Leucine oxidation decreased (P less than .05) and leucine used for protein synthesis (P less than .10) increased, with bST compared with excipient injection. During excipient injection, 10.3 g protein were synthesized for each gram crude protein deposited, whereas during bST injections only 6.4 g were required. The average maximum contribution of myofibrillar protein degradation to whole body protein degradation, calculated from excretion of 3-methylhistidine, was 16%. Although the ratio of protein deposition/protein synthesis was low for both excipient- and bST-injected steers, the incremental efficiency of protein deposition was 50%, reflecting a dilution of protein synthesis required for turnover and a proportionately greater increase in protein synthesis than protein degradation with bST injection. In growing beef steers, bST stimulated whole body protein synthesis and decreased leucine oxidation. The change in partition of leucine flux, but not of total flux (irreversible loss), demonstrates a chronic redirection in metabolism consistent with homeorhetic control. These data from steers injected with bST suggest mechanisms by which bST affects metabolism during normal growth.