OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of intraluminal glutamine on the adaptation of intestinal mucosa after resection compared with transsection and un-operated on control animals. DESIGN: Open, controlled, experimental study. SETTING: University hospital, Sweden. SUBJECTS: 123 Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTION: Daily isonitrogenous oral diet was given either free of glutamine or supplemented with 4% glutamine for 2 or 7 days to rats subjected to intestinal resection, transection or no operation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body weight and protein content, DNA content, and thymidine incorporation in jejunal and ileal mucosa. RESULTS: Resection resulted in a significant growth stimulation evaluated by weight/body weight, protein, and DNA content (p < 0.05-0.001). Glutamine supplementation did not significantly influence this growth response. Thymidine incorporation in jejunum was stimulated by glutamine on day 3 (p < 0.05-0.001). CONCLUSION: The glutamine fortified diet had no growth stimulating effects compared with a glutamine free diet one week after 60% intestinal resection. An early increase in thymidine incorporation indicated that glutamine had a transient proliferative effect.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of intraluminal glutamine on the adaptation of intestinal mucosa after resection compared with transsection and un-operated on control animals. DESIGN: Open, controlled, experimental study. SETTING: University hospital, Sweden. SUBJECTS: 123 Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTION: Daily isonitrogenous oral diet was given either free of glutamine or supplemented with 4% glutamine for 2 or 7 days to rats subjected to intestinal resection, transection or no operation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body weight and protein content, DNA content, and thymidine incorporation in jejunal and ileal mucosa. RESULTS: Resection resulted in a significant growth stimulation evaluated by weight/body weight, protein, and DNA content (p < 0.05-0.001). Glutamine supplementation did not significantly influence this growth response. Thymidine incorporation in jejunum was stimulated by glutamine on day 3 (p < 0.05-0.001). CONCLUSION: The glutamine fortified diet had no growth stimulating effects compared with a glutamine free diet one week after 60% intestinal resection. An early increase in thymidine incorporation indicated that glutamine had a transient proliferative effect.