Effect of enteral glutamine on intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation after abdominal radiation injury in rats

Abstract

We investigated the effect of enteral glutamine on intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation after whole abdominal radiation in rats. Rats irradiated with 10 Gy to the abdomen were randomly divided into a glutamine-free diet group and a glutamine-rich diet (2% glutamine) group. After 3 days of feeding of each diet, the 6-h urinary recovery of polyethylene glycol 4000 was significantly decreased in the glutamine-rich diet group compared to that in the glutamine-free diet group. The 6-h urinary recovery of phenolsulfonphthalein was also decreased in the glutamine-rich diet group, but the difference was not significant. Plasma endotoxin concentration was significantly lower in the glutamine-rich diet group. Twenty-four hour after gavage with 14C-labeled Escherichia coli, the detection rate of 14C-labeled bacteria in the mesenteric lymph nodes of rats was significantly lower in the glutamine-rich diet group. The adherence of 14C-labeled E. coli in the jejunal mucosa was significantly lower in the glutamine-rich diet group than in the glutamine-free diet group, but there were no significant differences in the ileal mucosa. These findings suggest that in rats with intestinal injury induced by irradiation, enteral glutamine maintains the intestinal barrier and reduces bacterial translocation.

Glutamine Improves Intestinal Barrier Function in Experimental Biliary Obstruction

“…Although other authors have observed that enteral glutamine supplementation can decrease intestinal permeability in experimental models of intestinal barrier failure [17,21] , this is the fi rst study to confi rm the fi nding in biliary obstruction, and the fi rst to suggest that glutamine administration may also attenuate the bacterial translocation and systemic infl ammatory response associated with intestinal barrier failure in this condition. The results of our experiments on bacterial translocation in glutamine-treated animals agree with those of recent studies which showed that glutamine administration in BDL animals is associated with reduced live bacterial translocation [22][23][24][25] .…”

“…The concentration of glutamine was chosen to match that used in previous similar studies [13,16,17] . The amount of food and water consumed by each animal was recorded each day (SDS-RM3A rat chow (Special Dietary Services, UK) and tap water) and animals receiving glutamine were pair-fed with animals in the control group.…”

Probiotic strains ofLactobacillusandBifidobacteriumaffect the translocation and intestinal load ofEnterobacteriaceaedifferently after D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats

“…It may augment host defences by enhancing antioxidant protection (28), and it can be produced by B. infantis DSM 15158, at least in vitro (data not shown, G. Molin personal communication). Enteral glutamine maintains the intestinal barrier and reduces bacterial translocation in intestinal radiation injury in rats (29) and it may exert important benefits in preventing gut-origin sepsis after trauma (30). The amide nitrogen of glutamine is thought to be critical in the biosynthesis of nucleotides and hexosamines.…”

Prevention of Barrier Disruption by Heme Oxygenase-1 in Intestinal Bleeding Model

“…The non-nutritive effects of glutamine have been reviewed. 13) Evidence suggests that glutamine helps to maintain intestinal mucosal integrity, especially during stresses such as radiation therapy 14) and experimental sepsis.…”