Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) and Glutamine Improve Structure and Function in the Small Bowel Allograft

The role of growth factors in intestinal regeneration and repair in necrotizing enterocolitis

“…Recent evidence suggests that such factors may act synergistically to prevent intestinal injury. 13,119,183,284-288 Further studies are warranted to test the possibility that supplementation of various factor(s) may prevent the development of this devastating disease.…”

The Physiology of the Transplanted Small Bowel: An Overview with Insight into Graft Function

“…However, no positive treatment effect on body weight was observed in any of these studies (107,(184)(185)(186)(187). Moreover, when enteral glutamine was given to cyclosporin-treated rats with either allografts or autografts, the beneficial effect of glutamine on glucose absorption vanished but that on mucosal surface area only in the former group (107,188). This finding may be of clinical importance and suggests that immunosuppressive therapy may reduce the responsiveness of the transplanted small intestine to enterotrophic stimuli.…”

“…Insulin-like growth factor-I treatment appears to enhance body weight gain, villus surface area, and glucose absorption and to decrease the incidence of bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes in rats after both syngeneic and allogenic SBT (71,188). The graft tissue content of insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 3 mRNA increased during insulin-like growth factor-I treatment (71).…”

“…The graft tissue content of insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 3 mRNA increased during insulin-like growth factor-I treatment (71). The combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and glutamine improves allograft structure and function better than either alone (188). On the other hand, insulin-like growth factor-I may be more potent than enterally administered glutamine in the rat allogenic SBT model (188).…”

“…The combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and glutamine improves allograft structure and function better than either alone (188). On the other hand, insulin-like growth factor-I may be more potent than enterally administered glutamine in the rat allogenic SBT model (188). Kato et al (189) recently reported increased glucose and water absorption, villus height, and crypt cell proliferation and unchanged body weight development after 3 days of epidermal growth factor treatment in rats with syngeneic SBT.…”