title: Gut mucosal and plasma concentrations of glutamine: a comparison between two enriched enteral feeding solutions in critically ill patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Addition of glutamine to enteral nutrition formulas is consistently associated with a significant decrease in septic morbidity in critically ill patients, possibly related to the attenuation of gut dysfunction. This pilot study was undertaken to compare the effects of enteral administration of two glutamine-enriched formulas containing either additional free glutamine or glutamine-rich proteins, with a standard solution on plasma and mucosal concentrations of glutamine in patients admitted in the Department of Intensive Care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following randomization, glutamine concentration was determined in endoscopically sampled duodenal biopsies and plasma, before and after a 7-day period of continuous administration of the designated solution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mucosal concentration of glutamine increased in the duodenal biopsies sampled from patients randomized to the solution containing the glutamine-rich proteins (from 3.6 +/- 2.2 to 6.7 +/- 5.2 micro-mol/g protein), but not from the others. There were no differences between the 3 groups in the plasma concentrations of glutamine, which remained stable over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The source of supplemental glutamine can influence gut mucosal glutamine concentrations, suggesting differences in its availability or utilization.
authors: Department of Intensive Care, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Belgium. jean-charles.preiser@chu.ulg.ac.be
authors: Jean-Charles
authors: JC
authors: Preiser
authors: Daliana
authors: D
authors: Peres-Bota
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Eisendrath
authors: Jean-Louis
authors: JL
authors: Vincent
authors: André
authors: A
authors: Van Gossum