Effects of glutamine pretreatment on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

AIM: To determine the effects of glutamine( Gln) pretreatment on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion( I/R) injury in the rats. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups( n = 10) : sham group,I /R group and Gln pretreatment group. The rats in Gln pretreatment group were pretreated with 1 g·kg- 1·d- 1Gln by orogastric route for 7 d,the rats in the other 2 groups were pretreated with normal saline. Intestinal I /R was induced by 30-min occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery followed by 24 h of reperfusion. After the operation,the plasma endotoxin,serum D-lactic acid,superoxide dismutase( SOD) and malondialdehyde( MDA) levels were measured. The intestinal mucosal injury was observed with HE staining and evaluated using Chiu's scoring. RESULTS: Serum D-lactic acid,endotoxin level,MDA level and Chiu's score in I /R group were significantly higher than those in sham group and Gln group( all P 0.05). Serum SOD activity was significantly lower than that in sham group and Gln group( P 0.05). CONCLUSION: Glutamine has a protective effect on the intestines during ischemia-reperfusion injury. The mechanism may be related to oxidative stress response.