Berberine attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced impairments of intestinal glutamine transport and glutaminase activity in rat.

Berberine was reported to protect against the intestinal injury and improve the survival rate in sepsis, and glutamine deficiency was considered to be correlated with mortality in sepsis. We found that berberine pretreatment ameliorated lipopolysaccharide-induced direct intestinal injury and mucosal hypoplasia and attenuated impairments of intestinal glutamine transport and glutaminase activity, B(0)AT1 mRNA and protein expressions, and glutaminase protein expression. These findings showed the first time that berberine pretreatment could improve intestinal recovery and attenuate the impairment of glutamine transport and glutaminase activity in rat sepsis. This might be one of the mechanisms for the beneficial effect of berberine on sepsis.