Glutamine prevents oxidative stress in a model of mesenteric ischemia and reperfusion

AIM: To evaluate preventative effects of glutamine in an animal model of gut ischemia/reperfusion(I/R).METHODS: Male Wistar rats were housed in a controlled environment and allowed access to food and water ad libitum. Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups:(1) control group(control)- rats underwent exploratory laparotomy;(2) control + glutamine group(control-GLU)- rats were subjected to laparotomy and treated intraperitoneally with glutamine 24 and 48 h prior to surgery;(3) I/R group- rats were subjected to occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min followed by 15 min of reperfusion; and(4) ischemia/reperfusion + glutamine group(G + I/R)- rats were treated intraperitoneally with glutamine 24 and 48 h before I/R. Local and systemic injuries were determined by evaluating intestinal and lung segments for oxidative stress using lipid peroxidation and the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), interleukin-6(IL-6) and nuclear factor kappa beta(NFkB) after mesenteric I/R. RESULTS: Lipid peroxidation of the membrane was increased in the animals subjected to I/R(P < 0.05). However, the group that received glutamine 24 and 48 h before the I/R procedure showed levels of lipid peroxidation similar to the control groups(P < 0.05). The activity of the antioxidant enzyme SOD was decreased in the gut of animals subjected to I/R when compared with the control group of animals not subjected to I/R(P < 0.05). However, the group that received glutamine 24 and 48 h before I/R showed similar SOD activity to both control groups not subjected to I/R(P < 0.05). The mean area of NF-kB staining for each of the control groups was similar. The I/R group showed the largest area of staining for NF-kB. The G + I/R group had the second highest amount of staining, but the mean value was much lower than that of the I/R group(P < 0.05). For IL-6, control and control-GLU groups showed similar areas of staining. The I/R group contained the largest area of IL-6 staining, followed by the G + I/R an