Intravenous glutamine support downmodulats the release of plasma LPS and the activities of PLA2 and neutrophil elastase in taurocholate-induced acute severe pancreatitis in pigs

Abstract

Objective To observe the effects of intravenous glutamine (Gln) support on plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS,endotoxin) concentration and acitvities of phospholipase A2(PLA2) and neutrophil elastase (NE) in taurocholate-induced acute severe pancreatitis (ASP) in pigs. Methods Twenty-one pigs weighed 16 kg-22 kg were randomly divided into four groups: including sham-controlled group (sham group, n=5), ASP-controlled group(ASP group, n=5), ASP+glycine controlled group(Gly group, n=5) and ASP+Gln supported group (Gln group, n=6). Anesthesized pigs were subjected to ASP induced by injecting 1 ml/kg of mixed solution of 5% sodium taurocholate and 8 000～10 000 BAEE units trypsin/ml into pancreas via pancreatic duct, which was replaced by 0.9% sodium chloride phosphate buffer solution to be taken as sham group. Blood samples from caval vein was collected for the determinations of Gln, LPS, NE and PLA2. Plasma glutamine were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Systemic plasma endotoxin levels was quantified by the chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) technique. All pigs were intravenously sacrificed by injecting 20 ml of 10%KCl. Anything involved in the processes of the sampling, preserving, measuring and so on had to be depyrogenated and to be asepsis. Results ASP porcine induced by sodium taurocholate mixed solution was associated with awfully lowed glutamine concentration but higher LPS, PLA2 and neutrophil elastase (NE) activities in plasma. There existed highly significant difference compared with the normal values (all P＜0.01 ). Intravenous glutamine support could effectively prevent the decrease of systemic plasma glutamine level (P＜0.01), and reduced the higher levels of systemic plasma LPS and the activities of plasma NE and PLA2 followed by acute severe pancreatitis induced by the mixed solusion of 5% sodium taurocholate and trypsin in pigs (all P＜0.01), but all were still higher than the normal values except for NE activities at 72 h after the induction of ASP.Conclusion It is suggested that maintaining higher plasma glutamine level could downregulate the level of plasma LPS and the activities of plasma PLA2 and NE, which is beneficial to lessen the cascade inflammatory responses irritated by these proinflammatory mediators and the functional lesions of extro-pancreas organs in pigs with ASP. Key words: Acute pancreatitis; Glutamine; Lipopolysaccharide; Neutrophil elastase; Phospholipase A2