Dietary amino acids as new and novel agents to enhance allograft survival.
Dietary supplementation with arginine was previously found to enhance cardiac allograft survival in rats when given with a donor-specific transfusion and a short low-dose course of cyclosporine. This study was performed to determine further the role of amino acid supplementation in prolonging allograft survival. Standard isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets were modified to contain 2 or 4% of energy from arginine, 2 or 4% from glutamine, 4% from glycine or the following combinations: 2% arginine with 2% glutamine, 2% arginine with 4% glutamine, or 1% arginine with 2% glutamine. These diets were started along with a donor-specific transfusion and a 7-d course of cyclosporine the day before cardiac transplantation from an ACI to Lewis strain rat. Median survival times in days for the groups were as follows: control without amino acids, 19.0; 2% arginine, 68.0; 4% arginine, 35.5; 2% glutamine, 28.5; 4% glutamine, 53.5; 4% glycine, 31.5; 2% arginine with 2% glutamine, 39.5; 2% arginine with 4% glutamine, 42.5 and 1% arginine with 2% glutamine, 35.5. Each experimental diet except 2% glutamine and 4% glycine significantly enhanced allograft survival (P < 0.05) with the 2% arginine diet being the best (91.6 +/- 32.3 d [mean +/- SEM] versus 20.1 +/- 3.2 d for control). It is concluded that both arginine and glutamine enhance the immunosuppressive effects of donor-specific transfusion and cyclosporine.
Alexander
J W
JW
Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio 45267-0558, USA. alexanjw@healthall.com
Valente
J F
JF
Greenberg
N A
NA
Custer
D A
DA
Ogle
C K
CK
Gibson
S
S
Babcock
G
G
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006085:Graft Survival; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011912:Rats, Inbred ACI; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous