title: Effect of perioperative feeding with fibre & arginine on morphometrics of ileum after surgical stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Major surgeries as well as other types of injury have been shown to affect the gut function. Enteral diets influence intestinal mucosal morphometry to different extents depending on their composition. Little is known about the effects of these defined-formula diets in patients with surgical stress but no malnutrition. This experimental study was undertaken to compare the effects of different enteral diets on the mucosal morphometrics of small bowel in surgically stressed rats without malnutrition
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar-Albino rats (n=84) weighing between 160-220 g were randomised into three groups. Group A received standard rat chow. Group B received a complete balanced nutrition supplemented with fibre, and the rats in Group C were given an isocaloric specialized elemental nutrition enriched with specific combination of nutrients and arginine. The feeding was started two days before the operation and continued until re-operation. Laparotomy, ileal transection, and end-to-end anastomosis was performed as the surgical procedure. The rats were sacrificed on days 0, 2 and 7 post-operatively. One cm of ileal segment containing the anastomosis was examined histologically. Parameters for intestinal mucosal morphometry (number of villi, villous height, mucosal thickness) and number of mucous containing cells were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Number of mucous cells per villus was significantly (P<0.05) higher in group A compared to groups B and C on days 0 and 2 post-operation. On day 7 villous height and mucosal thickness were also significantly higher in group A compared to the other two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparotomy and a minor surgical intervention such as small bowel transection was not a major surgical stress for intestinal mucosal atrophy in rats without malnutrition. The effect of fibre and arginine enriched defined-formula diets did not seem to improve intestinal mucosal changes in such a surgical stress model compared with normal rat chow.
authors.affiliation: Departments of General Surgery, Dr. Faruk Ilker Bergama State Hospital, Bergama, Turkey. sboylu@adu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Sukru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boylu
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozbas
authors.forename: Ali Dogan
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Bozdag
authors.forename: Nil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Culhaci
authors.forename: Pars
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tuncyurek
authors.forename: Serhat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yardim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002151:Calorimetry; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005526:Food, Formulated; D007082:Ileum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001120:Arginine