Four Hereford X Angus heifers (379 +/- 11 kg) with indwelling hepatic portal vein, iliac artery and mesenteric vein catheters were used in a switchback design to measure net portal absorption of leucine at two levels of energy intake, 130 and 260 kcal metabolizable energy.(kg.75.d)-1. Nine hourly measurements were made through two consecutive 4-h feeding periods on each heifer at each intake level. In separate experiments, N balance was determined and 6-h continuous infusions of L-[1-14C]-leucine were used to measure total plasma flux and oxidation of leucine with two of these heifers, one at each level of intake, and one additional Hereford heifer at both levels of intake. Net portal absorption of leucine increased with increasing intake from 5.4 to 12.4 mmol/h, and was associated with average leucine flux and oxidation rates of 30.7 and 4.7 mmol/h at low intake and 49.9 and 8.8 mmol/h at high intake. Protein synthesis (flux - oxidation) and protein accretion (N balance X 6.25) averaged 1,367 and 39 g/d at low intake and 2,156 and 219 g/d at high intake, respectively. Percent contributions of absorption and oxidation to total leucine flux were 17.6 and 15.3 at low intake and were 24.9 and 17.6 at high intake, respectively.

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Four beef steers (average BW, 246 kg) were used in a split-plot design with five bovine insulin (I) infusion rates (5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mU.kg-1.h-1) in the main plot and two infusion sites, mesenteric (M) and jugular (J) veins, in the subplot. Steers were fed a medium-energy diet at .235 Mcal of ME/kg BW.75 daily in 12 equal feedings at 2-h intervals. Catheters were placed in the mesenteric, hepatic-portal, and hepatic veins and in the abdominal aorta. Blood was sampled from the arterial, portal, and hepatic catheters at 20-min intervals for 1 h before I infusion. Glucose was infused intrajugularly to maintain euglycemia during the I infusion, with arterial glucose monitored at 10- to 15-min intervals. After at least 2.5 h, blood was again sampled at 20-min intervals for 1 h. Blood flow was determined by downstream dilution of p-aminohippurate. Arterial I concentrations (+/- SE) at the greatest I infusion rates were 183.5 +/- 10.46 (J) and 179.0 +/- 6.64 (M) microU/mL. Portal I concentration tended to be greater during M than during J infusion (e.g., J, 199.9 +/- 10.48 vs M, 225.8 +/- 8.99 microU/mL at the greatest dose). Hepatic glucose production at the larger three I doses reached a plateau near 40% of the preinfusion production rate (.57 +/- .02 mmol.kg-1.h-1 vs J, .23 +/- .029 and M, 27 +/- .037). Urea N concentration decreased, but portal uptake or hepatic release of urea N was largely unaffected by I dose or site of infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)