EFFECT OF DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF DIETARY ADDITIVES ON BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION AND SURVIVAL IN GUT-DERIVED SEPSIS

Background: Dietary arginine, glutamine, and fish oil each have been s hown to improve resistance to infection. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential benefit of different combinations and amounts of these components on bacterial translocation and related mortality during gut-derived sepsis. Methods: Balb/c mice were fed for 10 days w ith an AIN-76A diet supplemented with different combinations and perce ntages of arginine, glutamine, glycine, fish oil, and medium-chain tri glycerides. Controls were fed a complete AIN-76A diet or chow. After 1 0 days of feeding, all animals were transfused. On day 15, the animals were gavaged with 10(10) In-111-radiolabeled or unlabeled Escherichia coli and given a 30% burn injury. Animals gavaged with unlabeled bact eria were observed for survival (n = 317). Groups that showed the best survival as well as control groups were gavaged with labeled bacteria and killed 4 hours postburn (n = 60) for harvest of mesenteric lymph nodes, Liver and spleen. Results: Mice fed diets enriched with 5% fish oil + 2% arginine, 2% arginine + 2% glutamine, or 5% fish oil + 2% gl utamine had higher survival than control groups. The animals fed fish oil + glutamine had significantly reduced translocation to the liver a nd spleen. Animals fed arginine + glutamine had an enhanced ability to kill translocated organisms in the liver compared with other groups. Fish oil + arginine improved both barrier function and microbial killi ng. Conclusions: Feeding with arginine + glutamine, fish oil + arginin e, or fish oil + glutamine supplemented diets positively affects the o utcome in a gut-derived sepsis model.