Effect of energy substrates on protein degradation in isolated small intestinal enterocytes from rats.

Background: Nutrients affect small intestinal protein mass and metabolism, but studies on the effect of nutrients on small intestinal protein degradation are very limited due to a lack of a proper method. The objectives of this study were to establish a method to directly estimate protein degradation in isolated enterocytes from rats and to test the effect of energy substrates on protein degradation.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (150-200 g, n>or=8 per treatment) were used.

Liver protein synthesis stays elevated after chemotherapy in tumour-bearing mice.

We studied the effect of chemotherapy on liver protein synthesis in mice bearing colon 26 adenocarcinoma (C26). Liver protein mass decreased (-32%; P<0.05) in cachectic mice, but protein synthesis increased (20-35%; P<0.