Effects of glutamine infusion on colonic anastomotic strength in the rat.
Glutamine is one of the primary respiratory fuels of the colon. However, it is not included in commercial preparations of parenteral nutrients because of its short shelf life. It has been suggested that colonic atrophy induced by conventional parenteral nutrition can be reversed by the intravenous infusion of fresh solutions of glutamine. This study evaluated the hypothesis that glutamine-enriched parenteral nutrition would enhance the strength of a standard colonic anastomosis in undernourished rats. After surgery, the rats were randomized to receive 6 days of postoperative support with either rat chow, conventional parenteral nutrition, or parenteral nutrition containing 1.2% glutamine. Measurement of colonic bursting tension failed to demonstrate any significant differences between the groups under study. In conclusion, the administration of 1.2% glutamine-enriched parenteral nutrition failed to influence the healing of colonic anastomoses in undernourished rats.
McCauley
R
R
University Department of Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia.
Platell
C
C
Hall
J
J
McCulloch
R
R
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000601:surgery*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D011182:Postoperative Care; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
D000596:Amino Acids; D005973:Glutamine