CONTINUOUS ENTERAL FEEDING IN UREMIC RATS

Because of constant uremia-induced anorexia, food restriction of norma l rats is generally used to study the consequences of uremia. The effe ts of a normal food supply in uremic rats has never been tested, since no author has succeeded in providing normal intakes, Uremic rats eith er fed ad lib (U rats, n=12) or force-fed through a gastric catheter ( UF rats, n=10), and sham-operated rats (C rats, n = 10) were compared from days 7 to 21 after surgery, U rats had lower food intake (13.8 vs . 17 g/day), weight gain (5.16 vs. 6.23 g/day), length gain (4 vs. 5 m m/day), nitrogen balance (228 vs. 279 mg/day) and muscle fractional pr otein synthesis rate (9.5 vs. 10.6%) measured in vivo by H-3-phenylala nine injection (p < 0.05 for all). All parameters were restored to nor mal values in UF rats, possibly due to correction of underhydration in addition to undernutrition. Such continuous enteral feeding may provi de a model for normal nutritional supply in uremia.