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Protection from radiation injury by elemental diet: does added glutamine change the effect?
1Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Gut
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Supplementing an elemental diet with glutamine did not enhance protection against radiation injury in dogs
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Oncology
- Radiology
Background:
- Therapeutic pelvic irradiation can cause significant small intestinal injury.
- Nutritional support is crucial for patients undergoing radiation therapy.
- Glutamine is an amino acid that plays a role in intestinal health and immune function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the protective effect of a protein hydrolysate-based elemental diet supplemented with glutamine on canine small intestine during pelvic irradiation.
- To compare the efficacy of an elemental diet with and without added glutamine in mitigating radiation-induced intestinal damage.
Main Methods:
- Canine subjects were fed either an elemental diet or an elemental diet supplemented with glutamine.
- Subjects underwent therapeutic pelvic irradiation.
- Small intestinal tissues were analyzed using histological examination and electron microscopy.
- Activity of free radical generating enzymes, scavengers, and antioxidants was measured in intestinal mucosa.
Main Results:
- Both diets provided significant protection against radiation-induced intestinal injury, with no significant difference between the two groups on histological and electron microscopy.
- Enzyme activities (xanthine oxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) were significantly higher in dogs fed the elemental diet without glutamine post-irradiation.
- No superior protection was observed with the glutamine-supplemented elemental diet.
Conclusions:
- Supplementation with glutamine did not provide superior protection to the small intestine of dogs undergoing pelvic irradiation when compared to an elemental diet alone.
- The observed increase in protective enzyme activity in the absence of supplemental glutamine suggests that glutamine may not be essential for intestinal radioprotection in this context.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise role of glutamine in intestinal radioprotection and its potential benefits in different clinical scenarios.
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