Effects of alanyl-glutamine on intestinal adaptation and bacterial translocation in rats after 60% intestinal resection

Protective Effects Oncorneal Endothelium During Intracameral Irrigation Using N-(2)-l-alanyl-l-Glutamine

Corneal endothelial disease is a global sight-threatening disease, and corneal transplantation using donor corneas remains the sole therapeutic option. A previous work demonstrated that N (2)-alanyl-glutamine (Ala-Gln) protected against apoptosis and cellular stress, and maintained intestinal tissue integrity. In this pursuit, the present study aimed to examine the effect of Ala-Gln in the protection of the corneal endothelium and expand its range of potential clinical applications. Mice in the control group were intracamerally irrigated with Ringers lactate injection, whereas those in the experimental group were irrigated with Ringers lactate injection containing Ala-Gln. The mean intraocular pressure increased to 44 ± 3.5 mm Hg during intracameral irrigation (normal range 10.2 ± 0.4 mmHg). In vivo confocal microscopy results showed that the addition of Ala-Gln protected the morphology, structure, and density of the corneal endothelial cells. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) measurements showed that corneal thickness was not significantly different between the two groups, because of the immediate corneal edema after irrigation, but the addition of Ala-Gln obviously promoted the recovery of the corneal edema. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the corneal endothelial cells were severely ruptured and exfoliated in the Ringer’s group accompanied with cellular edema, when compared with the Ala-Gln group. The intracameral irrigation using Ala-Gln protected the structure and expression of cytoskeleton and Na-K-ATPase, which exhibited a regular distribution and significantly increased expression in comparison to Ringer’s group. Furthermore, Ala-Gln maintained the mitochondrial morphology and increased the activity of mitochondria. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy showed that intracameral irrigation of Ala-Gln reversed the ultrastructural changes induced by the acute ocular hypertension in mice. Our study demonstrates that the intracameral irrigation of Ala-Gln effectively maintained the corneal endothelial pump function and barrier function by protecting the mitochondrial function and preventing the rearrangement of cytoskeleton in acute ocular hypertension in mice.

The effectiveness of growth hormone, glutamine and a low-fat diet containing high-carbohydrate on the enhancement of the function of remnant intestine among patients with short bowel syndrome: a review of published trials

Many patients who undergo extensive resection of the gastrointestinal tract develop malabsorption which, in the worst cases, requires long-term parenteral nutrition at home, frequently on a permanent basis. Such patients can be defined as having intestinal failure resulting from the short bowel syndrome. In 1995, Wilmore's group hypothesized that the administration of growth factors and nutrients could enhance further adaptation of the remnant intestine and thereby improve absorption. The demonstrated, through controlled clinical trials, the benefit of such treatment among 47 adults with less than 200 cm of small intestine. Over the past few years, similar trials as well as animal experiments have been conducted by the same authors and other groups with conflicting results. We have performed a systematic search on the electronic databases for the purpose of identifying the evidence published so far on this subject. Our analysis suggests that the benefit of administering recombinant human growth hormone alone, or together with glutamine with or without a low-fat diet containing high-carbohydrate (fibre) is, if any, marginal.