INHIBITORY EFFECT OF THE IONOPHORE SALINOMYCIN ON DEAMINATION BY MIXED RUMEN BACTERIA

A series of in vitro experiments was conducted to investigate response of rumen bacterial deamination to the ionophore salinomycin. Addition of salinomycin to the inoculum, strained rumen fluid, depressed ammonia production from casein, while increased accumulation of ${\alpha}$-amino acids. This suggests an inhibitory effect of salinomycin on ruminal deamination. When the effect in washed bacterial suspension was monitored with individual amino acid, aspartic acid degradation was markedly inhibited by salinomycin. This inhibition was not observed when the mixed rumen bacteria were ultrasonically disrupted and used as the enzyme source. Extent of the inhibition tended to be higher in the bacteria source from sheep on a high roughage diet. From these results it was speculated that the inhibition of deamination with salinomycin is caused by a decreased transport of amino acid into the bacterial cells as well as a decreased proportion of deaminating bacteria in the rumen.