Bolus ornithine and arginine-ketoglutarate supplementation in distal intestine after 65% resection in rats

Introduction: Enteral feeding has been reported to increase intestinal muco sa proliferation after resection. Dietary components influence the intestin al adaptive response. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ornithine- (OKG) or arginine-ketoglutarate (AKG) bolus supplementation o n intestinal postresectional adaptation in the rat. Methods: Male Wistar ra ts underwent 65% small-bowel resection and received either OKG 3 g/kg/day, isonitrogenous AKG or saline by gavage once daily. The animals had free acc ess to rat chow. Sampling was done 10 days after resection. Fed animals wit hout surgery or specific treatment served as controls. Results: Mucosal wet weight, DNA, RNA, protein content and sucrose activity of the mucosa, as w ell as villus height were significantly increased in all resected animals c ompared to controls. No significant differences in body weight or intestina l adaptation could be found between the three dietary groups. Conclusion: P ostoperative enteral bolus feeding supplemented with OKG or AKG did not sig nificantly enhance the adaptation of the remnant small bowel 10 days after massive intestinal resection when rats had free access to rat chow. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science Inc.