A conceptual model of metabolic fluxes of amino acids in the small intestine of pig

In brief, this model is built as a series of intestinal segments (nseg = 200, can be modified), each having the same structure. Each segment is composed of seven compartments, representing the fate of a generic AA according to their location (i.e., luminal or intestinal), origin (i.e., dietary or endogenous), and form (i.e., as protein or as a free AA). The compartments are connected by fluxes, representing the main fates of AA, such as saturable transport of luminal AA or homeostasis of free or protein-bound AA in intestinal tissue. To parameterize the model, data from the literature was used, as well as values considered as reasonable. Simulations can be carried out over 24 hours, with five meals during the day and fasting during the night. The four Python files need do be downloaded to run the model.