Hibernating mammals recycle nitrogen to preserve lean muscle mass
Evidence from multiple studies confirms that hibernating mammals recycle nitrogen (such as through urea-nitrogen salvage by gut microbes) to preserve lean muscle mass and prevent protein loss during prolonged fasting and inactivity.
The retrieved papers provide robust, direct empirical evidence using isotopic tracing and microbiological analyses demonstrating that hibernating mammals utilize nitrogen recycling to conserve amino acids and protect lean mass during torpor.
Rice SA, Ten Have GAM, Reisz JA, Gehrke S, Stefanoni D, Frare C, Barati Z, Coker RH, D'Alessandro A, Deutz NEP, Drew KL. Nitrogen recycling buffers against ammonia toxicity from skeletal muscle breakdown in hibernating arctic ground squirrels.. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-020-00312-4
Demonstrates that hibernating arctic ground squirrels buffer and recycle free nitrogen into essential and non-essential amino acids to prevent toxicity and maintain protein homeostasis.
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Grond K, Buck CL, Duddleston KN. Microbial gene expression during hibernation in arctic ground squirrels: greater differences across gut sections than in response to pre-hibernation dietary protein content.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1210143
Highlights the role of the gut microbiome and urea nitrogen salvage in host-protein conservation during hibernation.
Sadowska J, Carlson KM, Buck CL, Lee TN, Duddleston KN. Microbial urea-nitrogen recycling in arctic ground squirrels: the effect of ambient temperature of hibernation.. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-024-01579-9
Shows that urea-nitrogen recycling by gut microbes allows hibernating mammals to incorporate liberated nitrogen into host tissues.
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