Intravenous glutamine fails to improve gut morphology after radiation injury.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats housed in individual metabolic cages received total parenteral nutrients via chronic indwelling internal jugular catheters to determine whether supplementing parenteral nutrition with glutamine would accelerate recovery of small-bowel morphology after abdominal radiation. After recovering from catheter insertion for 3 days they received either 1000 cGy gamma radiation to the abdomen only or no radiation and immediately thereafter received isonitrogenous and isocaloric intravenous solutions containing either 0% or 2% glutamine at 1.58 mL/h for the next 5 days. Intestinal segments were then assayed for whole-bowel deoxyribose nucleic acid content and villus height. Irradiation caused a 40% decrement in these parameters, which were not restored by glutamine supplementation. Therefore, intravenous glutamine supplementation failed to accelerate recovery of small-bowel morphology in this model of combined surgical and radiation injury.
Scott
T E
TE
Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.
Moellman
J R
JR
D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007422:Intestines / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
D005973:Glutamine; D004247:DNA