title: Plasma citrulline may be a good marker of intestinal functions in intestinal dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma citrulline has been reported to be a good indicator of intestinal functional volume in patients with intestinal dysfunction. We reconfirmed the facts and also investigated the dynamic changes of plasma citrulline in acute-phase patients with intestinal dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured plasma citrulline in six patients with intestinal dysfunction who were in the acute and chronic phase for more than 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four patients out of six could be withdrawn from total parenteral nutrition, and their plasma citrulline level dynamically changed according to their intestinal states and finally increased up to 15 nmol/mL. Two patients, who could not be withdrawn from parenteral nutrition, showed very low levels of plasma citrulline throughout the treatment course (under 15 nmol/mL).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cut-off level of plasma citrulline indicating permanent intestinal dysfunction may be 15 nmol/mL in our data. In the acute phase, plasma citrulline changed dynamically according to the intestinal state and may be a good indicator of fluctuating intestinal functions. Thus, although only a few patients were enrolled in this study, plasma citrulline may be a good indicator of stable-state as well as acute-unstable-state intestinal functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanamori
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komura
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Terawaki
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kodaka
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fukami
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwanaka
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002956:Citrulline / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007422:Intestines / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002956:Citrulline