Effect of glutamine on apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells of severe acute pancreatitis rats receiving nutritional support in different ways.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of glutamine (Gln) on pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-10) and the balance between pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) rats receiving nutritional support in different ways. METHODS: Male SD rats (n=80) were randomly assigned into 5 groups: sham group, SAP+ parenteral nutrition (PN) group, SAP+ enteral nutrition (EN) group, SAP+EN+Gln group and SAP+PN+Gln group. At the same time, rats in 5 groups were sacrificed at 4 and 7 days after nutritional support. ELISA was employed to detect the pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-10. RESULTS: The serum TNF-α in the EN+Gln group after 7-day treatment was significantly lower than that in the EN, PN and PN+Gln groups at corresponding time point (P<0.05). The serum IL-2 in the EN+Gln group after 7-day treatment was markedly higher than that in the EN, PN and PN+Gln groups at corresponding time point (P<0.01). After 7-day treatment, the serum IL-2 in the EN+Gln and EN groups were markedly higher than that after 4-day treatment (P<0.01), but the serum IL-2 in the PN group was significantly lower than that after 4-day treatment (P<0.01). The serum IL-10 after 7-day treatment was markedly lower than that after 4-day treatment in all groups (P<0.01), and PN group had the lowest serum IL-10. Serum IL-10 in the EN+Gln group was significantly higher than that in the PN and PN+Gln groups at both time points (P<0.01). The serum IL-10 in the EN group was significantly higher than that in the PN group after 4-day treatment (P<0.01), but the serum IL-10 in the EN group was comparable to that in the PN group after 7-day treatment. The serum IL-10/TNF-α in the EN+Gln group was only slightly higher than that in the control group at both time points. The serum IL-10/TNF-α in the EN group was significantly lower than that in the EN+Gln group at both time points (P<0.05). The serum IL-10/TNF-α in the PN group was markedly lower than that in the EN group and EN+Gln group (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: EN in combination with Gln are superior to EN alone, PN alone and PN in combination with Gln in regulating inflammation in SAP rats, and the EN has more potent capability to regulate the balance between pro-inflammation and anti-inflammation than PN.