PREVENTION OF PARENTERAL NUTRITION-INDUCED GUT HYPOPLASIA BY COINFUSION OF GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-2

Maintaining rats on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 6 days signif icantly reduced mass (-34%), protein (-32%), and DNA (-35%) in small i ntestine and colon (29-37% decrease). Coinfusion of glucagon-like pept ide-2 (GLP-2) normalized each of these variables in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, but not in colon. Histological analysis of tissue revealed normal mucosa thickness and villus height in small intestine of GLP-2 -treated rats, whereas nontreated rats maintained on TPN exhibited vil lus shortening (-30%) and thinning (-23%) of mucosa. These results sug gest that hormonal alterations may be more important than an absence o f luminal nutrition in TPN-associated mucosal changes. Additionally, G LP-2 normalization of gut mucosa permits accurate assessment of the in fluence of reversal of hypoplasia on gut barrier function.