The Effects of Oral Administration of Different Proteins on the Plasma Proteins of Protein-Depleted Dogs

Abstract

The nutritive properties of 5 proteins (whole egg, egg white, lactalbumin, casein and wheat gluten) as well as two hydrolysates of casein and lactalbumin present in commonly consumed diets were measured with respect to their ability to support nitrogen balance, to promote growth, to replace body tissues, to regenerate liver proteins, and to stimulate the production of plasma proteins. It was found that, in general, a parallelism exists among the results arrived at by the test methods used except for egg white, which is superior to the 4 other proteins according to the first three tests but not according to the last two. Our data again demonstrate that lactalbumin or its hydrolysate favors the regeneration of albumin in protein, whereas other proteins will regenerate globulins as well. Examination of the A/G ratio after repletion demonstrates that the ratio returned to normal only after the feeding of lactalbumin, its hydrolysate, and casein hydrolysate.