Effects of glutamine on intestinal functions of dogs with abdominal open injury coupled with seawater immersion

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of glutamine on intestinal functions of dogs following abdominal open injury coupled with seawater immersion.Methods Following open abdominal injury,30 adult dogs were randomly divided into 3 groups:the seawater immersion group(the control group),the routine treatment group(the conventional group)and the glutamine treatment group(the observation group),each consisting of 10 animals.Blood pressure,heart rate,respiration,abdominal circumference,bowel sound were monitored both before and after injury.Blood samples were collected for the detection of endotoxin,D-lactate,diamine oxidase(DAO),tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-a),interleukin-1(IL-1 and lactulose/mannitol(L/M)ratio.After 24 hours,small intestine tissues were taken for pathological detection and measurement of intestinal mucosal thickness and villous height.Results When compared with the conventional group,no statistically significant differences could be seen in mean artery pressure(MAP),heart rate,respiration,bowel sound and abdominal circumference for the observation group(P＞0.05).When compared with the conventional group and the observation group,significant differences could be noted in MAP and bowel sound for the control group(P＜0.05).And statistical significance could also be noted for heart rate,respiration and abdominal circumference at hours 12 and 24 respectively following injury(P＞0.05).Endotoxin:when compared with the conventional and observation groups,statistical significance could also be noted in endotoxin for the control group at hours 12 and 24 following injury(P＞0.05),and statistical significance could also be noticed for the observation group at hour 24,when compared with the control and conventional groups(P＞0.05).D-lactate:there were statistically significant differences for the conventional group,when comparisons were made between the 3 groups at hour 12 following injury(P＜0.05),however,no statistical significance could be noted between the observation group and the control group(P＞0.05).Statistical significance was observed for the conventional group,when compared with the control and observation groups(P＜0.05).And no statistical significance was noted,when a comparison was made between the observation and control groups(P＜0.05).DAO:when compared with the control and conventional groups,statistical significance could be noted for the observation group at hours 8 and 24 respectively following injury(P＜0.05).TNF-α:when compared with observation and conventional groups,there was statistical significance for the observation group at hours 12 and 24 respectively following injury(P＜0.05).IL-1:when compared with the control[(7.40±2.71)ng/L]and the conventional groups[(8.71±3.13)ng/L],statistical significance could be observed for the observation group at hour 12 following injury(P＜0.05),however no statistical significance could be noted,when a comparison was made between the observation and control groups.At hour 24 following injury,when compared with the control[(9.91±3.18)ng/L]and conventional groups[(10.12±2.25)ng/L],statistical significance could be noticed for the observation group(P＜0.05).Urine L/M ratio:statistical significance would be noticed for the observation group,when compared with the control and conventional groups(P＜0.05).Pathological results:only mild edema could be seen in the intestinal mucosal cells of the animals in the observation group under optical microscope,which was obviously lighter,when compared with the observation and control groups.And there were statistical differences in intestinal mucosal thickness and villous height,when compared with the conventional group(P＜0.05),however,no statistical differences could be noted,when a comparison was made between the control and conventional groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions Glutamine seems to have definitive therapeutic effects on intestinal dysfunction induced by abdominal injury coupled with seawater immersion. Key words: Seawater immersion; Open abdominal injury; Intestinal function; Glutamine; Therapeutic effect