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A Serum Enzyme Increasing Effect of Non-Toxic Herring Meal FED to Sheep

Virkningen au fóring med atoksisk sildemel på enkelte serumenzymer hos sau

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 12, pages 375–392 (1971)Cite this article

Abstract

In a series of experiments it was demonstrated that highly increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase (= GOT), total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBD) occurred in serum of sheep on herring meal feeding. The alanine aminotransferase (A1AT = GPT) level remained unchanged. The enzyme increase was apparently not related to the liver toxic agent dimethylnitrosamine (DMNA) occasionally occurring in lethal doses in meals produced from raw materials preserved with excesses- of nitrite. Histological changes of the liver or other tissues were never detected in experimental animals killed at a stage with very high serum enzyme values. Diets equivalent in digestible crude protein consisting of vegetable as well as of animal protein sources other than fish meal, did not give rise to elevated serum enzyme values.

Electrophoretic separation of the LDH isoenzymes in serum of herring meal-fed sheep showed an increased percentage of the LDH1 fraction, which is predominant in liver, heart, and kidney. Determination of enzyme activities in various tissues resulted in a markedly higher concentration in livers from herring meal-fed animals than in sheep fed casein at an equal protein level. It is suggested that herring meal may have a special promoting effect on the de novo synthesis of the enzymes concerned.

As a practical consequence of the experiments it must be emphasized that serum determinations of these enzymes for diagnostic purposes will give a false picture of the clinical condition of sheep fed even moderate amounts of herring meal.

Sammendrag

I en lengre forsøksserie ble det vist at foring med sildemel til sau forårsaket en sterk stigning i serumaktiviteten av aspartataminotransferase (AspAT = GOT), total laktatdehydrogenase (LDH) og α-hy-droksybutyratdehydrogenase (HBD), mens alaninaminotransferasenivået (A1AT = GPT) var uforandret. Enzymforhøyelsen hadde tilsynelatende ingen relasjon til det lever-toksiske agens dimethylnitrosamin (DMNA) som har forekommet i letale doser i sildemel av sterkt nitrittkonservert råmateriale. Patologiske forandringer som kunne forklare enzymstigningen, ble ikke påvist, hverken i lever eller andre organer på forsøksdyr som ble avlivet på et stadium med meget høye serumverdier.

Andre proteinrike formidler som jordnøtt, soya, hvalkjøttmel og kasein gitt i ekvivalente proteinmengder ga ikke samme utslag som sildemel og loddemel.

Elektroforetisk separasjon av LDH isoenzymene i serum av sildemelförete dyr viste en sterk økning av fraksjonen LDH1 som er dominerende i lever, hjerte og nyrer hos sau. Bestemmelse av enzymaktiviteten i forskjellige vev viste en markant høyere verdi i lever hos sauer som var föret med sildemel enn hos dyr som var föret med annet animalsk protein i tilsvarende mengder. Observasjonene kan tyde på at sildemel har en spesiell induserende effekt på syntesen av visse enzymer.

En praktisk konsekvens av resultatene er at serumenzymbestem-melser i diagnostisk øyemed hos sauer som blir fóret med sildemel, f. eks. profylaktisk overfor muskeldystrofi, vil kunne gi et sterkt forfalsket bilde av den kliniske tilstand.

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Acknowledgment

The author wants to thank the colleagues Mr. Niels Koppang and Mrs. Inger Nafstad, Department of Pathology, for their kind cooperation; Professor Fredrik Ender, Department of Biochemistry, for valuable discussion and help; Director of Norwegian Herring Oil and Meal Industry Research Institute, Mr. Gudmund Sand, for providing different types of herring meal; and the Department of Food Hygiene for performing amino acid analyses.

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  1. Department of Animal Husbandry and Genetics, Veterinary College of Norway, Oslo, Norway

    Sverre Tollersrud

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Tollersrud, S. A Serum Enzyme Increasing Effect of Non-Toxic Herring Meal FED to Sheep. Acta Vet Scand 12, 375–392 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547737

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147