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Absorption of enterally administered N-acetyl-l-glutamine versus glutamine in pigs
Alexandra Arnaud1, Maria Ramírez, J H Jeffrey H Baxter
1Abbott Laboratories, Ross Products Division, International R and D Department, Camino de Purchil 68, Granada 18004, Spain.
Background And Aims:
Glutamine instability in liquid media suggests that evaluation of reasonable enteral nutrition sources of glutamine is needed. N-acetyl-l-glutamine offers no instability and no intolerance problems. This research was conducted to study the absorption and apparent digestibility of glutamine versus N-acetyl-l-glutamine.
Methods:
Two pig models were used. (1) In a clamped jejunal loop experiment, we measured the concentrations of glutamine and N-acetyl-l-glutamine in the intestinal infused solutions, intestinal mucosa, and portal and peripheral blood. (2) In a feeding experiment, we determined their apparent digestibility.
Results:
N-acetyl-l-glutamine ( approximately 76%) was slightly less absorbed than glutamine ( approximately 85%) from the intestinal lumen into mucosa, where it was not detected as intact molecule, suggesting almost complete hydrolysis during absorption. Virtually no intact N-acetyl-l-glutamine was observed in the blood compartments; glutamine from lumenal N-acetyl-l-glutamine had the same behavior as that from lumenal-free glutamine in portal and peripheral blood. The apparent ileal digestibility of N-acetyl-l-glutamine was lower than that of free glutamine, as N-acetyl-l-glutamine was probably retained in the intestinal lumen to a greater extent than glutamine.
Conclusion:
N-acetyl-l-glutamine appeared to be a good candidate for glutamine fortification of enteral nutrition formulas.
