Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T06:59:11.830Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Re-evaluation of the classical dietary arginine:lysine interaction for modern poultry diets: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2007

D. Balnave  and
J. Barke
D. Balnave
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales 2570, Australia
J. Barke*
Affiliation:
Department of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7608, USA
*
*Corresponding author: e-mail: jbrake@ncsu.edu
Get access

Abstract

The nutritional antagonism of arginine (Arg) and lysine (Lys) was first identified and investigated in the 1950's and 1960's. The results of this early research suggest the optimum Arg:Lys ratio to fall between 0.8 and 1.7, depending upon dietary levels of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride. Calculations from the more recent optimum amino acid balances included in widely referenced authoritative sources suggest the optimum Arg:Lys ratio to be in the range from 0.90 to 1.18. Changes from the ‘optimum’ value of the ratio can have adverse effects on the performance of growing poultry. The effect is more evident with an excess of lysine (low Arg:Lys ratio) than with an excess of arginine (high Arg:Lys ratio). Studies with heat-stressed broilers have shown that the optimum Arg:Lys ratio varies with ambient temperature. The Arg:Lys ratio for optimum broiler body weight gain and feed efficiency increases at high temperatures, probably because of a reduced uptake of arginine from the digestive tract. The improved response of broilers to increasing dietary Arg:Lys ratio is most clearly seen during heat stress with diets containing minimum concentrations of NaCI. This response diminishes with high dietary NaCl and with NaHCO3 supplementation, when the optimum dietary Arg:Lys ratio declines from the high ratio (~1.30) observed with low dietary NaCl. Furthermore, the nature of the methionine activity source influences the optimum dietary Arg:Lys ratio for heat-stressed broilers. The performance of broilers fed 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMB) is optimised at high Arg:Lys ratios (1.35) whereas broilers fed equimolar supplements of DL-methionine (DLM) tend to optimise performance at lower Arg:Lys ratios (1.05). The selection of the correct methionine activity source as a dietary supplement is likely to become more important if the current trend to exclude animal protein feed ingredients with low Arg:Lys ratios from poultry diets continues.

Keywords

argininelysineArg:Lys ratiomethioninedietary electrolytes
Type
Reviews
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , September 2002 , pp. 275 - 289
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council(1975) Nutrient Requirements of Farm Livestock. 1. Poultry, 2nd edn. HMSO.Google Scholar
Alleman, F. and Leclercq, B. (1997) Effect of dietary protein and environmental temperature on growth performance and water consumption of male broiler chickens. British Poultry Science 38: 607–610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Almquist, H.J., Mecchi, E. and Kratzer, F.H. (1941) Creatine formation in the chick. Journal of Biological Chemistry 141: 365–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, J.O. and Combs, G.F. (1952) Effect of single amino acid excesses on glucose metabolism and chick growth as influenced by the dietary amino acid balance. Journal of Nutrition 46: 161–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, J.O. and Dobson, D.C. (1959) Amino acid requirements of the chick. 2. Effect of total essential amino acid level in the diet on the arginine and lysine requirements. Poultry Science 38:1140–1150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Austic, R.E. (1985) Feeding poultry in hot and cold climates, in Yousef, M.K. (Ed.) Stress Physiology in Livestock, Vol. 3, pp. 123–136 (Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press).Google Scholar
Austic, R.E. and Nesheim, M.C. (1970) Role of kidney arginase in variations of the arginine requirement of chicks. Journal of Nutrition 100: 855–868.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Austic, R.E., Patience, J.F., Forsberg, N.E. and Boyd, R.D. (1986) The nature of the interactions between dietary amino acids and minerals. Proceedings of the Cornell Confereuce for Feed Manufacturers. pp. 40–44a.Google Scholar
Australian Standing Committee on Agriculture (1987) Feeding Standards for Australian Livestock. Poultry. (Melbourne, Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)).Google Scholar
Baker, D.H. (1997) Ideal amino acid profiles for swine and poultry and their applications in feed formulation. BioKyowa Technical Review 9. Chesterfield, MO.Google Scholar
Baker, D.H., Robbins, K.R. and Buck, J.S. (1979) Modification of the level of histidine and sodium bicarbonate in the Illinois crystalline amino acid diet. Poultry Science 58: 749–750.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balnave, D. and Brake, J. (1999) Responses of broilers to sodium bicarbonate supplementation of diets containing varying arginine:lysine ratios. Australian Journal of Agriculrural Research 50: 425–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balnave, D. and Brake, J. (2001) Different responses of hroilers at low, high or cyclic moderate-high temperatures to dietary sodium bicarbonate supplementation due to differences in dietary formulation. Australian Journal of Agriculrural Research 52: 609–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balnave, D. and Oliva, A.G. (1991) The influence of sodium bicarbonate and sulfur amino acids on the performance of broilers at moderate and high temperatures. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 42: 1385–1397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balnave, D., Hayat, J. and Brake, J. (1999) Dietary aginine:lysine ratio and methionine activity at elevated environmental temperatures. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 8: 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boorman, K.N. and Fisher, H. (1966) The arginine-lysine interaction in the chick. British Poultry Science 7: 39–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boorman, K.N., Falconer, I.R. and Lewis, D. (1968) The effect of lysine infusion on the renal reabsorption of arginine in the cockerel. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 27: 61–62A.Google Scholar
Brake, J., Balnave, D. and Dibner, J.J. (1994a) Wide Arg:Lys ratio ameliorates effect of heat stress in broilers. Poultry Science 73 (Supplement 1): 74.Google Scholar
Brake, J., Ferket, P., Grimes, J., Balnave, D., Gorman, I. and Dibner, J.J. (1994b) Proceedings 21st Curolina Poultry Nutrition ConferenceCharlotte, N.C., pp. 82–104.Google Scholar
Brake, J., Balnave, D. and Dibner, J.J. (1998) Optimum dietary arginine:lysine ratio for broiler chickens is altered during heat stress in association with changes in intestinal uptake and dietary sodium chloride. British Poultry Science 39: 639–647.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, J.H. and Allison, J.B. (1948) Effect of excess dietary DL-methionine and/or L-arginine in rats. Proceedings Society of Experimental Biology und Medicine 69: 196–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calvert, C.C. and Austic, R.E. (1981) Lysine-chloride interactions in the growing chick. Poultry Science 60: 1468–1472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, J., Balnave, D. and Brake, J. (2000) Proceedings of the 9th Congress of the Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies, Volume C, pp. 73–74Google Scholar
D'Mello, J.P.F. and Lewis, D. (1970) Amino acid interactions in chick nutrition. 1. The interrelationship between lysine and arginine. British Poultry Science 11: 299–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dean, W.F. and Scott, H.M. (1968) Ability of arginine to reverse the growth depression induced by supplementing a crystalline amino acid diet with excess lysine. Poultry Science 47: 341–342.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuller, H.L., Chang, S.I. and Potter, D.K. (1967) Detoxification of dietary tannic acid by chicks. Journal of Nutrition 91: 477–481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorman, I. and Balnave, D. (1994) Effects of dietary mineral supplementation on the performance and mineral retentions of broilers at high ambient temperatures. British Poultry Science 35: 563–572.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gorman, I., Balnave, D. and Brake, J. (1997) The effect of altering the dietary arginine to lysine ratio on the breast meat yield of broiler chickens at moderate and high temperatures. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 48: 709–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, J.D. (1961) Lysine toxicity in the chick. Journal of Nutrition 73: 107–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, J.D. (1964) Lysine-arginine antagonism in the chick. Journal of Nutririon 84: 313–321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, J.D., Petersburg, S.J. and Burnett, P.C. (1967) The mechanism of the lysine-arginine antagonism in the chick: effect of lysine on digestion, kidney arginase and liver transamidinase. Journal of Nutrition 93: 103–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keshavarz, K. and Fuller, H.L. (1971) Relationship of arginine and methionine in the nutrition of the chick and the significance of creatinc biosynthesis in their interaction. Journal of Nutrition 101: 217–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kidd, M.T. and Kerr, B.J. (1998) Dietary arginine and lysine ratios in Large White toms. 2. Lack of interaction between arginine:lysine ratios and electrolyte balance. Poultry Science 77: 864–869.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kwak, H., Austic, R.E. and Dietert, R.R. (1999) lnfluence of dietary arginine concentration on lymphoid organ growth in chickens. Poultry Science 78: 1536–1541.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahmoud, H.A. and Teeter, R.G. (1996) Arginine:lysine ratio effects on performance and carcass variables of broilers reared in themoneutral and heat stress environments. Poultry Science Volume 75 (Supplement 1): 88.Google Scholar
Macleod, M.G. (1997) Effects of amino acid balance and energy: protein ratio on energy and nitrogen metabolism in male broiler chickens. British Poultry Science 38: 405–411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendes, A.A., Watkins, S.E., England, J.A., Saleh, E.A., Waldroup, A.L. and Waldroup, P.W. (1997 ) Influence of dietary lysine levels and arginine:lysine ratios on performance of broilers exposed to heat or cold stress during the period of three to six weeks of age. Poultry Science 76: 472–481.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Research Council (1994) Nutrient Requirements of Poultry, 9th Revised Edition. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA.Google Scholar
O'Dell, B.L. and Savage, J.E. (1966) Arginine-lysine antagonism in the chick and its relationship to dietary cations. Journal of Nutrition 90: 364–370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Qureshi, M.A., Brake, J., Balnave, D. and Kidd, M.T. (2000) Effect of environmental temperature and arginine:lysine ratio on broiler macrophage and monocyte function. Poultry Science 79 (Supplement 1): 64.Google Scholar
Scott, R.L. and Austic, R.E. (1978) Influence of dietary potassium on lysine metabolism in the chick. Journal of Nutrition 108: 137–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, R.E. (1968) Effect of arginine upon the toxicity of excesses of single amino acids in chicks. Journal of Nutrition 95: 547–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snetsinger, D.C. and Scott, H.M. (1961) Efficacy of glycine and arginine in alleviating the stress induced by dietary excesses of single amino acids. Poultry Science 40: 1675–1681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stutz, M.W., Savage, J.E. and O'Dell, B.L. (1971) Relation of dietary cations to arginine-lysine antagonism and free amino acid patterns in chicks. Journal of Nutrition 101: 377–384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stutz, M.W., Savage, J.E. and O'Dell, B.L. (1972) Cation-anion balance in relation to arginine metabolism in the chick. Journal of Nutrition 102: 449–458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, E.L., Shao, T-C. and Christensen, H.N. (1971) Structural selectivity in interaction of neutral amino acids and alkali metal ions with a cationic amino acid transport system. Journal of Biological Chemistry 246: 1677–1681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Veldkamp, T., Kwakkel, R.P., Ferket, P.R., Simons, P.C.M., Noordhuizen, J.P.T.M. and Pijpers, A. (2000) Effects of ambient temperature, arginine-to-lysine ratio, and electrolyte balance on performance, carcass, and blood parameters in commercial male turkeys. Poultry Science 79: 1608–1616.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waldroup, P.W. (1982) Influence of environmental temperature on protein and amino acid needs of poultry. Federation Proceedings 41: 2821–2823.Google ScholarPubMed
Waldroup, P.W., Mitchell, R.J., Payne, J.R. and Hazen, K.R. (1976) Performance of chicks fed diets formulated to minimize excess levels of essential amino acids. Poultry Science 55: 243–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waldroup, P.W., England, J.A., Kidd, M.T. and Kerr, B.J. (1998) Dietary arginine and lysine in Large White toms 1. Increasing arginine:lysine ratios does not improve performance when lysine levels are adequate. Poultry Science 77: 1364–1370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wideman, R.F. Jr., Kirby, Y.K., Ismail, M., Bottje, W.G., Moore, W.R. and Vardeman, R.C. (1995) Supplemental L-arginine attenuates pulmonary hypertension syndrome (ascites) in broilers. Poultry Science 74: 323–330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wideman, R.F. Jr., Kirby, Y.K., Tackett, C.D., Marson, N.E. and McNew, R.W. (1996) Cardio-pulmonary function during acute unilateral occlusion of the pulmonary artery in broilers fed diets containing normal or high levels of arginine-HCI. Poultry Science 75: 1587–1602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed