[Cellular immunity changes after total parenteral nutrition enriched with glutamine in patients with sepsis and...

The influence of glutamine on human immune system is multidirectional but the exact changes still remain unclear. In this study the effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) enriched with glutamine on some selected immunological and nutritional parameters was examined in twelve surgical patients with sepsis and malnutrition. The reason for glutamine supplementation was lack of clinical improvement after standard TPN. All patients received TPN enriched with glutamine for 10 days. Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear subsets (CD4, CD8, CD16, CD56, HLA-DR) were measured before, during (on days 2, 4, 6) glutamine administration and two days after (day 12) glutamine withdrawal. Simultaneously some nutritional parameters were assessed. The number and percentage of CD4, CD16, CD56 mononuclear subsets increased significantly on day 2 and stayed on the same level during observation (with exception in CD4 on day 6, 12 and CD56 on day 4). No significant differences in CD8 and HLA-DR number and percentages were observed after TPN enriched with glutamine. BIA examination revealed on days 2 and 12 significant decrease of total body water and significant increase of body cell mass, intracellular water on day 12. It was correlated with significant higher total lymphocytes count and significantly higher total protein, serum albumin, transferrin, cholesterol and CRP concentration. Results demonstrated that TPN supplemented with glutamine improved rapidly some immunological and nutritional parameters in surgical, malnutrition patients with sepsis.