The effect of trauma on protein synthesis

The effect of trauma on protein synthesis in the rat was studied. During the study the rats received all nutrients except water via intravenous hyperalimentation (1.25 g of amino acids, 12.5 g of glucose/day plus vitamins and mineral supplements). On the fourth day of total intravenous feeding the rats were divided into two groups. The femur of one group of rats was fractured under ether anesthesia (traumatized rats); the second group of rats served as controls. Fifty to sixty milligrams of 70% [¹⁵N]glycine was then added to the infusate and infused at a constant rate for the next 18 to 19 hr. The rats were then sacrificed, and the rate of protein synthesis in the liver, heart, lung, kidneys, and anterior tibealis muscle was determined by a modification of the method of Garlick et al. [3]. The rate of protein synthesis in all tissues assayed except lung was significantly increased in the traumatized rats compared to the control rats. We concluded that in well-fed rats the response to trauma is an increase in protein synthesis.