Effects of oral meal feeding on whole body protein breakdown and protein synthesis in cachectic pancreatic cancer patients

David Pj van Dijk; Marcel Cg van de Poll; Alastair Gw Moses; Thomas Preston; Steven Wm Olde Damink; Sander S Rensen; Nicolaas Ep Deutz; Peter B Soeters; James A Ross; Kenneth Ch Fearon; Cornelis Hc Dejong

doi:10.1002/jcsm.12029

Effects of oral meal feeding on whole body protein breakdown and protein synthesis in cachectic pancreatic cancer patients

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2015 Sep;6(3):212-21. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12029. Epub 2015 Apr 20.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands ; NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Maastricht, The Netherlands.
² Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands ; NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Maastricht, The Netherlands ; Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK.
⁴ Stable Isotope Biochemistry Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre East Kilbride, Glasgow, UK.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands ; NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Maastricht, The Netherlands ; Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK.

Abstract

Background: Pancreatic cancer is often accompanied by cachexia, a syndrome of severe weight loss and muscle wasting. A suboptimal response to nutritional support may further aggravate cachexia, yet the influence of nutrition on protein kinetics in cachectic patients is poorly understood.

Methods: Eight cachectic pancreatic cancer patients and seven control patients received a primed continuous intravenous infusion of l-[ring-(2)H5]phenylalanine and l-[3,3-(2)H2]tyrosine for 8 h and ingested sips of water with l-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine every 30 min. After 4 h, oral feeding was started. Whole body protein breakdown, protein synthesis, and net protein balance were calculated. Results are given as median with interquartile range.

Results: Baseline protein breakdown and protein synthesis were higher in cachectic patients compared with the controls (breakdown: 67.1 (48.1-79.6) vs. 45.8 (42.6-46.3) µmol/kg lean body mass/h, P = 0.049; and synthesis: 63.0 (44.3-75.6) vs. 41.8 (37.6-42.5) µmol/kg lean body mass/h, P = 0.021). During feeding, protein breakdown decreased significantly to 45.5 (26.9-51.1) µmol/kg lean body mass/h (P = 0.012) in the cachexia group and to 33.7 (17.4-37.1) µmol/kg lean body mass/h (P = 0.018) in the control group. Protein synthesis was not affected by feeding in cachectic patients: 58.4 (46.5-76.1) µmol/kg lean body mass/h, but was stimulated in controls: 47.9 (41.8-56.7) µmol/kg lean body mass/h (P = 0.018). Both groups showed a comparable positive net protein balance during feeding: cachexia: 19.7 (13.1-23.7) and control: 16.3 (13.6-25.4) µmol/kg lean body mass/h (P = 0.908).

Conclusion: Cachectic pancreatic cancer patients have a higher basal protein turnover. Both cachectic patients and controls show a comparable protein anabolism during feeding, albeit through a different pattern of protein kinetics. In cachectic patients, this is primarily related to reduced protein breakdown, whereas in controls, both protein breakdown and protein synthesis alterations are involved.

Keywords: Anabolic resistance; Cancer cachexia; Nutrition; Pancreatic cancer; Protein breakdown; Protein synthesis.