title: Dietary glutamine supplementation affects macrophage function, hematopoiesis and nutritional status in early weaned mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect that early weaning associated with the ingestion of either a glutamine-free or supplemented diet has on the functioning of peritoneal macrophages, hematopoiesis and nutritional status of mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Swiss Webster mice were early weaned on their 14th day of life and distributed to two groups, being fed either a glutamine-free diet (-GLN) or a glutamine-supplemented diet (+GLN). Animals belonging to a control group (CON) were weaned on their 21st day of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The -GLN and +GLN groups had a lower lean body mass, carcass protein and ash content, plasma glutamine concentration and lymphocyte counts both in the peripheral blood and bone marrow when compared to the CON group (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation with glutamine reversed both the lower concentrations of protein and DNA in the muscle and liver, as well as the reduced capacity of spreading and synthesizing nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 in cultures of peritoneal macrophages obtained from the -GLN group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that the ingestion of glutamine modulates the function of peritoneal macrophages in early weaned mice. However, a glutamine-supplemented diet cannot substitute maternal milk in respect to immunological and metabolic parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. celo.tln@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Marcelo Macedo
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rogero
authors.forename: Primavera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borelli
authors.forename: Marco Aurélio Ramirez
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vinolo
authors.forename: Ricardo Ambrósio
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fock
authors.forename: Ivanir Santana
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Pires
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tirapegui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005973:Glutamine / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008892:Milk / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011897:Random Allocation; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine