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Pretreatment With Citrulline Improves Gut Barrier After Intestinal Obstruction in Mice
Author(s) -
Batista Marina Andrade,
Nicoli Jacques Robert,
Santos Martins Flaviano,
Nogueira Machado José Augusto,
Esteves Arantes Rosa Maria,
Pacífico Quirino Iara Eliza,
Davisson Correia Maria Isabel Toulson,
Cardoso Valbert Nascimento
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/0148607111414024
Subject(s) - ileum , citrulline , intestinal permeability , medicine , arginine , enterocyte , intestinal mucosa , barrier function , histopathology , gastroenterology , endocrinology , small intestine , chemistry , biology , pathology , biochemistry , amino acid , microbiology and biotechnology
Background: Citrulline has been shown to be an important marker of gut function, regulator of protein metabolism, and precursor of arginine. The authors assessed the effects of citrulline on gut barrier integrity and bacterial translocation (BT) in mice undergoing intestinal obstruction. Methods: Mice were divided into 3 groups: sham, intestinal obstruction (IO), and citrulline (CIT). The CIT group received a diet containing 0.6% citrulline; the IO and sham groups were fed a standard chow diet. On the eighth day of treatment, all animals received a diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) solution labeled with 99m Technetium ( 99m Tc‐DTPA) by gavage for the intestinal permeability study. Terminal ileum was ligated except the sham group, which only underwent laparotomy. After 4, 8, and 18 hours, blood was collected to determine radioactivity. Samples of ileum were removed 18 hours after intestinal obstruction for histological analysis. In another set of animals, BT was evaluated. Animals received 10 8 CFU/mL of 99m Tc– Escherichia coli by gavage; 90 minutes later, they underwent ileum ligation. Intestinal fluid and serum were collected to measure sIgA and cytokines. Results: The CIT group presented decreased intestinal permeability and BT when compared with the IO group ( P < .05). Histopathology showed that citrulline preserved the ileum mucosa. The sIgA concentration was higher in the CIT group ( P < .05). The IO group presented the highest levels of interferon‐γ ( P < .05). Conclusions : Pretreatment with citrulline was able to preserve barrier integrity and also modulated the immune response that might have affected BT decrease.