title: Effect of L-glutamine and n-butyrate on the restitution of rat colonic mucosa after acid induced injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  L-glutamine and n-butyrate are important nutrients for colonocytes affecting both their structure and function. The effect of these epithelial substrates on resealing of rat distal colon after acid induced injury was studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Isolated colonic mucosa of 32 rats was mounted in Ussing chambers and exposed to Krebs-Ringer solution for four hours. Epithelial injury was induced by short-term exposure to luminal hydrochloric acid and resealing was studied with or without added glutamine or butyrate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Glutamine (luminal and serosal) reduced tissue conductance, mannitol and lactulose permeability, and permeation of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Glutamine (serosal) diminished conductance and mannitol permeability. Both interventions stimulated bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in nuclei of colonocytes. Luminal butyrate had no measurable effect on these parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that L-glutamine stimulates repair mechanisms of rat colonic mucosa after acid injury. This effect on the gut barrier is associated with a stimulation of crypt cell proliferation. The addition of glutamine to parenteral solutions may be beneficial for patients under intensive care whose intestinal barrier is weakened in the course of sepsis and trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wurzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Scheppach
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dusel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loges
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karch
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Bartram
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: S U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Christl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kasper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002087:Butyrates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D007792:Lactulose / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D008353:Mannitol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002087:Butyrates; D005973:Glutamine; D008353:Mannitol; D007792:Lactulose; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid