Ammonia absorption from the intestine in adult cockerels.

Two ml of w mM ammonium acetate solution was introduced into 10 cm chicken intestinal sack having Meckel's diverticulum in the middle part. After the introduction, blood ammonia concentration in the mesenteric vein draining the sack reached a maximal increase within 5 min and returned to the initial level in 30 min. The difference of ammonia concentration between cardiac and mesenteric venous blood also showed a similar tendency. About 91% of the ammonia introduced into the intestinal lumen disappeared in 30 min. Amino acid metabolism in intestinal tissue appears to be affected by the introduction of ammonia into the intestinal lumen.