title: Effect of parenteral glutamine peptide supplements on muscle glutamine loss and nitrogen balance after major surgery.
abstract: Twelve patients admitted for elective resection of carcinoma of colon or rectum were allocated at random to experimental and control groups (six in each) and received a total parenteral nutrition regimen providing 230 mg N/kg and 166 KJ/kg daily over the first 5 postoperative days. In the experimental group the parenteral fluid was supplemented with a synthetic glutamine-containing dipeptide, L-alanyl-L-glutamine (54 mg peptide-N/kg per day) and the control group received corresponding amounts of alanine-N and glycine-N. On each postoperative day nitrogen balance was better in the experimental group; mean daily nitrogen balance with alanyl-glutamine was -1.5 (SE 0.4) g N/day and with the control solution -3.6 (0.2) g N/day. The cumulative nitrogen balances on the fifth postoperative day were -7.1 (2.2) and -18.1 (1.7) g N, respectively. With the peptide-containing solution intramuscular glutamine concentration remained close to the preoperative value whereas with the control solution it decreased from 19.7 (SE 0.9) to 12.0 (0.6) mmol/l intracellular water.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stehle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zander
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mertes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albers
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Puchstein
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lawin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fürst
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011897:Random Allocation; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D005973:Glutamine; C045560:alanylglutamic acid; D009584:Nitrogen