Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:16:07.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of supplementary nickel on urea metabolism in sheep given a low protein diet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. S. Milne ,
F. G. Whitelaw ,
J. Price  and
W. J. Shand
J. S. Milne
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
F. G. Whitelaw
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. Price
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
W. J. Shand
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access

Abstract

Work in the United States of America has shown that dietary supplements of nickel (Ni) can result in an increase in rumen urease activity and can increase growth rate and food conversion efficiency in lambs and steers given low protein diets. It has been suggested that Ni enhances urea recycling through its effect on urease activity. To examine this hypothesis, four sheep were given a high-energy, lowprotein diet with or without a supplement of 5 mg/day Ni, given as NiCl2.6H2O by continuous infusion into the rumen. Urea irreversible loss rate (ILR) and pool size were measured by means of a single intravenous injection of 14C-urea. The addition of Ni resulted in a significant increase in rumen urease activity (P < 0·05) but there was no significant effect on urea ILR, urea pool size, urinary urea excretion or on the quantity of urea recycled to the gastro-intestinal tract. Ni also had no effect on plasma urea or rumen ammonia concentrations, on diet digestibility or on nitrogen retention. It is concluded that the enhancement of urease activity by supplementary Ni conferred no nutritional advantage to the sheep.

Keywords

dietary proteinnickelsheepurea
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , June 1990 , pp. 507 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council. 1984. The Nutrient Requirement of Ruminant Livestock. Supplement No. 1. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Cocimano, M. R. and Leng, R. A. 1967. Metabolism of urea in sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 21: 353–371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, A. R. 1976. Urease activity in the rumen of sheep and the isolation of urease activity. Journal of General Microbiology 92: 32–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eadie, J. M., Hyldgaard-jensen, J., Mann, S. O., Reid, R. S. and Whitelaw, F. G. 1970. Observations on the microbiology and biochemistry of the rumen in cattle given different quantities of a pelleted barley ration. British Journal of Nutrition 24: 157–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hausinger, R. P. 1986. Purification of a nickelcontaining urease from the rumen anaerobe Selenomonas ruminantium. Journal of Biological Chemistry 261: 7866–7870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hyden, S. 1961. Determination of the amount of fluid in the reticulo-rumen of the sheep and its rate of passage to the omasum. Kungliga Lantbrukshogskolans Annaler 27: 51–79.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1982. GENSTAT. Release 4.04. Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.Google Scholar
Malawar, S. J. and Powell, D. W. 1967. An improved turbidimetric analysis of polyethylene glycol utilizing an emulsifier. Gaslroenterology 53: 250–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milne, J. S., Whitelaw, F. G. and Price, J. 1988. The effect of supplementary nickel on urea metabolism in sheep given a low-protein diet. Animal Production 46: 507 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Oncuer, A., Milne, J. S. and Whitelaw, F. G. 1990. The effect of a hind-gut fermentation on urea metabolism in sheep nourished by intragastric infusion. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology. In press.Google Scholar
Orskov, E. R., Hovell, F. D. de B. and Mould, F. 1980. The use of the nylon bag technique for the evaluation of feedstuffs. Tropical Animal Production 5: 195–213.Google Scholar
Orskov, E. R. and McDonald, I. 1979. The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92: 499–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oscar, T. P. and Spears, J. W. 1988. Nickel-induced alterations of in vitro and in vivo ruminal fermentations. Journal of Animal Science 66: 2313–2324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oscar, T. P., Spears, J. W. and Shih, J. C. H. 1987. Performance, methanogenesis and nitrogen metabolism of finishing steers fed monensin and nickel. Journal of Animal Science 64: 887–896.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spears, J. W. 1984. Nickel as a “newer trace element” in the nutrition of domestic animals. Journal of Animal Science 59: 823–835.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spears, J. W. and Hatfield, E. E. 1978. Nickel for ruminants. 1. Influence of dietary nickel on ruminant urease activity. Journal of Animal Science 47: 1345–1350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spears, J. W. and Hatfield, E. E. 1980. Role of nickel in ruminant nutrition. In 3. Spurenelement-Symposium, Nickel (ed. Anke, M., Schneider, H. J. and Bruckner, C.), pp. 47–53. Friedrich-Schiller Universitat, Jena, DDR.Google Scholar
Spears, J. W., Hatfield, E. E. and Forbes, R. M. 1979. Nickel for ruminants. II. Influence of dietary nickel on performance and metabolic parameters. Journal of Animal Science 48: 649–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spears, J. W., Smith, C. J. and Hatfield, E. E. 1977. Rumen bacterial urease requirement for nickel. Journal of Dairy Science 60: 1073–1076.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Starnes, S. R., Spears, J. W. and Harvey, R. W. 1984. Interaction between nickel and protein source in the ruminant. Biological Trace Element Research 6: 403–413.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallace, R. J. and McPherson, C. A. 1987. Factors affecting the rate of breakdown of bacterial protein in rumen fluid. British Journal of Nutrition 58: 313–323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weller, R. A. and Pilgrim, A. F. 1974. Passage of protozoa and volatile fatty acids from the rumen of the sheep and from a continuous in vitro fermentation system. British Journal of Nutrition 32: 341–351.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitelaw, F. G., Eadie, J. M., Mann, S. O. and Reid, R. S. 1972. Some effects of rumen ciliate protozoa in cattle given restricted amounts of a barley diet. British Journal of Nutrition 27: 425–437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitelaw, F. G., Milne, J. S., Orskov, E. R., Stansfield, R. and Franklin, M. F. 1990. Urea metabolism in sheep given conventional feeds or nourished by intragastric infusion. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology 75: 239–254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, A. G. and Coleman, G. S. 1988. The rumen protozoa. In The Rumen Microbial Ecosystem (ed. Hobson, P. N.), pp 77–128. Elsevier, London.Google Scholar