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Plasma alkaline ribonuclease (EC 3.1.4.22) and nitrogen retention in low-birth-weight infants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

P. H. Scott ,
H. M. Berger ,
Caroline Kenward ,
P. Scott  and
B. A. Wharton
P. H. Scott
Affiliation:
Biochemistry Department, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham B29 6JD, and Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9HE
H. M. Berger
Affiliation:
Biochemistry Department, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham B29 6JD, and Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9HE
Caroline Kenward
Affiliation:
Biochemistry Department, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham B29 6JD, and Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9HE
P. Scott
Affiliation:
Biochemistry Department, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham B29 6JD, and Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9HE
B. A. Wharton
Affiliation:
Biochemistry Department, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham B29 6JD, and Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9HE
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Abstract

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1. Nitrogen retention was determined by classical N balance techniques in fourteen rapidly growing low-birth-weight infants receiving 3 g protein/kg body-weight and during their 3rd week of life. This was compared with plasma free alkaline ribonuclease (EC 3.1.4.22; RNase) activity and other biochemical measurements of protein nutrition.

2. Plasma RNase showed a significant positive correlation with N retention and a corresponding negative correlation with urine urea-N. These results were unexpected and suggest a different relationship between RNase and N retention in infants compared with that found by other workers in children and adults.

3. The most likely explanation of this apparent anomaly is that in all instances high activities of plasma RNase are associated with a need to conserve N. In the infants studied this may indicate some measure of ‘protein economy’ and they could therefore benefit from a higher protein intake.

Type
Papers of direct relevance to Clinical and Human Nutrition
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , November 1978 , pp. 459 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1978

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