title: Oral glutamine decreases bacterial translocation and improves survival in experimental gut-origin sepsis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glutamine has been shown to be an important dietary component for the maintenance of gut metabolism. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of glutamine-enriched diets on experimental gut-derived sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/c mice were fed either 2% glutamine-supplemented or 1% glycine-supplemented (near-isonitrogenous control) AIN-76A diets. Control mice received either nonsupplemented AIN-76A or regular Purina Rodent Laboratory Mouse Chow 5001 diets. After 10 days of feeding, the mice were transfused with allogeneic blood (from C3H/HeJ mice), and the feeding protocols were continued for an additional 5 days. The mice then underwent gavage with 10(10) Escherichia coli labeled with either indium-111 oxine or [14C]glucose followed immediately by a 20% burn injury. Some mice were observed 10 days postburn for survival rates. Others were killed 4 hours after burn, and the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen were harvested to determine radionuclide and bacterial colony counts. The percentages of viable translocated E coli were also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mice fed glutamine-enriched diets had a lower degree of translocation (as measured by both radionuclide and bacterial counts) to the tissues than did the other groups and had an improvement in the ability to kill translocated E coli (as measured by the percentage of viable bacteria). Survival was significantly higher in the group fed 2% glutamine (81%) compared with the groups fed 1% glycine (36%), AIN-76A (35%), and Purina Rodent Laboratory Mouse Chow 5001 (36%) diets (p < .004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glutamine-supplemented enteral diets may exert important benefits in preventing gut-origin sepsis after trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio 45267-0558, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gianotti
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gennari
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pyles
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Babcock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000382:microbiology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D005973:Glutamine