title: Protective effects of glutamine preconditioning on ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common phenomenon in hepatic surgical procedures and can result in further severe damage. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of glutamine preconditioning on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and its dose-dependency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=8 per group). One group received 0.9% NaCl (control) and the other three received glutamine (Gln groups) 4 hours before ischemia. The Gln groups were named GL, GM, and GH according to the glutamine dose. The liver was subjected to 1 hour of ischemia and 2 hours of reperfusion. Two hours later, the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), intracellular free calcium (Ca2+), and activity of Na+/K+ adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assessed, and liver tissue sections were examined under a microscope.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Gln and control groups differed in the concentration of intracellular free calcium (P<0.05), and the activity of Na+/K+ ATPase and SOD in the Gln groups was higher than in the control group (P<0.05). The ALT level was lower in the GM and GH groups than in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of Na+/K+ ATPase and SOD rose gradually with increasing glutamine dose (P<0.05), and the concentration of Ca2+ declined gradually with increasing glutamine dose (P<0.05). The degree of hepatocyte injury was milder in the Gln groups than in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glutamine preconditioning protected effectively against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. These protective effects were related to the dose of glutamine and due to the reduction of intracellular calcium overload and the improvements in the activity of Na+/K+ ATPase and SOD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hebei Provincial General Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050051, China. zhangwx12@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Wan-Xing
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li-Fang
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Chun-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D002118:Calcium