JEJUNOILEAL BYPASS-INDUCED LIVER DYSFUNCTION AND BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION - EFFECT OF INTRALUMINAL GLUTAMINE INFUSION

We tested the effect of long-term intraluminal administration of gluta mine on jejunoileal bypass (JIB) induced abnormalities in the plasma-l iver profile in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats (200-250 g) were subjec ted to an end to side JIB followed by daily intraluminal infusions of either 8 mi saline (n = 5), infused over a 4-hour period, or 8 mi sali ne containing 1g/Kg body weight glutamine (n = 7) for 3 weeks. Thirtee n unoperated rats and four JIB rats without infusions served as contro ls. At the conclusion of the experiment, a cardiac blood sample was re moved and analyzed for plasma cholesterol, albumin, total protein, gam ma glutaril transferase, lactic dehydrogenase, glutamic-oxaloacetic tr ansaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and b ilirubin. Tissue samples from various segments of bowel, liver, mesent eric lymph nodes, and spleen underwent histopathologic examination. Ba cteriological cultures were prepared from jejunum, ileum, mesenteric l ymph nodes, liver, and spleen. Bacterial translocation occurred in bot h JIB-saline and JIB-glutamine infused rats. Glutamine-infused rats de veloped a significant decrease in the plasma cholesterol levels. Howev er, glutamine; did not prevent the JIB-induced alterations in the plas ma-liver profile and bowel histopathology. It is suggested that experi mental JIB procedure can be used as a model of bacterial translocation consequent to mucosal permeability and intestinal inflammatory diseas es.