Oral glutamine does not prevent bacterial translocation in rats subjected to intestinal obstruction and Escherichia coli challenge but reduces systemic bacteria spread.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether oral glutamine prevents bacterial translocation.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats were fed with isocaloric and isoproteic standard rat chow and randomly assigned to receive glutamine (GLN) or glycine administered through an orogastric tube at 1.5 g.kg(-1).d(-1) for 7 d. On day 8 of the study, the animals were anesthetized and intestinal obstruction was produced by ligature of the terminal ileum. A suspension containing 10(9) colony-forming units per milliliter of Escherichia coli ATCC 25992 was injected into the lumen of the ileum. Twenty-four hours later, blood was withdrawn, and mesenteric lymph nodes and fragments of spleen, liver, and lung were sent for microbiological analysis. Cultures were done on blood agar and MacConkey agar. Student's t test and analysis of variance between two proportions were used. P < 0.05 was considered significant.


RESULTS
Rats in both groups lost body weight during the experiment (not significant). Mesenteric lymph node cultures were positive in both groups. The GLN group had a smaller percentage of E. coli in blood and organ cultures (65.45% versus 82.67% in the glycine group; P = 0.027). Positive cultures of blood, spleen, liver and lung also were higher on glycine group, although not significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral GLN does not prevent bacterial translocation in rats after intestinal obstruction and E. coli challenge. No specific organ was protected by GLN. Nevertheless, its use was associated with a reduced number of positive E. coli cultures in blood and remote organs, and thus diminished bacteria spread. This association suggests a role for GLN in gut barrier protection, possibly by immune system enhancement.
Salvalaggio
Paolo R O
PR
Department of Surgery, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil. usapaolo@hotmail.com
Neto
Clementino Zeni
CZ
Tolazzi
André R D
AR
Gasparetto
Emerson L
EL
Coelho
Júlio C U
JC
Campos
Antonio C L
AC
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000502:physiology*; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D005973:Glutamine