This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Smith, R. J. Articles by Wilmore, D. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, R. J. Articles by Wilmore, D. W. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Glutamine Nutrition and Requirements

oslin Diabetes Center, the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Douglas W. Wilmore, M.D.

oslin Diabetes Center, the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in plasma and tissue pools and an important intermediate in a number of metabolic pathways. Glutamine levels decline markedly in the course of many different catabolic disease states and it has recently been suggested that glutamine may be a conditionally essential dietary nutrient rather than a nonessential amino acid. Changes in tissue glutamine concentrations have been shown to correlate with net protein turnover, and there is evidence that glutamine may both stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit protein degradation. In experimental animals, we have shown that the fall in glutamine concentrations in plasma and tissue pools that occurs in the postoperative state can be prevented or reversed by providing large quantities of exogenous glutamine. In gastrointestinal tissues, the provision of glutamine-free total parenteral nutrition solutions is associated with atrophy of mucosal cells and pancreatic exocrine cells. Glutamine-supplemented parenteral formulas result in diminished atrophy of intestinal mucosal and pancreatic exocrine cells; both intravenous and enteral glutamine promote gastrointestinal tissue regeneration following toxic injury. In animals undergoing partial small intestine resection, glutamine feeding leads to increased adaptive hyperplasia in remaining intestinal segments and results in earlier postoperative weight gain. All of these trophic, anabolic effects of glutamine require the administration of quantities that exceed the glutamine content of normal dietary protein. These findings in experimental animals support the hypothesis that glutamine is a conditionally essential nutrient and suggest a potentially important role for glutamine-supplemented nutrition in catabolic disease states. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 14:945-995, 1990)

Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Vol. 14, No. 4 Suppl, 94S-99S (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/014860719001400412


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Tian, L. Hao, P. Chandra, D. P. Jones, I. R. Willams, A. T. Gewirtz, and T. R. Ziegler Dietary glutamine and oral antibiotics each improve indexes of gut barrier function in rat short bowel syndrome Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, February 1, 2009; 296(2): G348 - G355. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. W. Schaart, A. C. J. M. de Bruijn, D. Tibboel, I. B. Renes, and J. B. van Goudoever Dietary Protein Absorption of the Small Intestine in Human Neonates JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, November 1, 2007; 31(6): 482 - 486. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Sung Ling Yeh, Chiu Li Yeh, Ming Tsan Lin, Ping Nan Lo, and Wei Jao Chen Effects of Glutamine-Supplemented Total Parenteral Nutrition on Cytokine Production and T Cell Population in Septic Rats JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, September 1, 2001; 25(5): 269 - 274. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Minet-Quinard, C. Moinard, S. Walrand, F. Villie, B. Normand, M.-P. Vasson, J. Chopineau, and L. Cynober Induction of a Catabolic State in Rats by Dexamethasone: Dose or Time Dependency? JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, January 1, 2000; 24(1): 30 - 36. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Arndt, F. Kullmann, F. Reuss, J. Scholmerich, and K.-D. Palitzsch Glutamine Attenuates Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion in Indomethacin-Induced Intestinal Inflammation in the Rat JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, January 1, 1999; 23(1): 12 - 18. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Davis and S. Baker Review: The Use of Modular Nutrients in Pediatrics JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, May 1, 1996; 20(3): 228 - 236. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. L. Yeh, W. J. Chen, and P. C. Huang Effect of L-Glutamine on Hepatic Lipids at Different Energy Levels in Rats Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, January 1, 1994; 18(1): 40 - 44. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Furst and P. Stehle Invited Review: The Potential Use of Parenter Dipeptides in Clinical Nutrition Nutr Clin Pract, June 1, 1993; 8(3): 106 - 114. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. J. Smith Invited Review: Molecular Biology in Nutrition Nutr Clin Pract, February 1, 1992; 7(1): 5 - 15. [Abstract] [PDF]