Protective effects of glutamine on septic mice

Objective To investigate the protective effects of glutamine(Gln)on septic mice.Methods Forty-five Kunming mice were randomly divided into three groups(n=15 each):sham-operated group(CON),sepsis model group(CLP),and Gln-treated group(GLN).Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture.Either glutamine(0.75 g/kg)or saline was administered immediately after surgery via single tail-vein injection and the survival rate was observed.Macrophages were harvested by peritoneal lavage at 6 h.Both intracellular and serum cytokines were assayed via ELISA.Results Serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels were similar between two groups(all P0.05);the serum level of TNF-α in GLN group was significantly lower than that in CLP group(P0.05).Intracellular TNF-α and IL-6 levels were also significantly lower in GLN group compared with CLP group(P0.01,0.05),but the intracellular IL-10 level was similar among the 3 groups(P0.05).Survival rate at 5 days post treatment was significantly higher in GLN group(30%)than that in the GLP group(10%,P0.05).Conclusion Gln treatment exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in vivo during sepsis.The anti-inflammatory effect of Gln is also associated with improvement of this septic mouse survival.