Oral supplementations with free and dipeptide forms of l-glutamine in endotoxemic mice: effects on muscle glutamine-glutathione axis and heat shock proteins

• Published in: The Journal of nutritional biochemistry 2014-03, Vol.25 (3), p.345-352
• Main Authors: Cruzat, Vinicius F., Pantaleão, Lucas C., Donato, José, de Bittencourt, Paulo Ivo Homem, Tirapegui, Julio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alanine; Animals; Dietary Supplements; Endotoxemia - drug therapy; Glutamine; Glutamine - administration & dosage; Glutamine - chemistry; Glutamine - metabolism; Glutamine - therapeutic use; Glutathione - metabolism; GSH; Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; HSPs; Male; Mice; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Oxidative stress; Sepsis
• ISSN: 0955-2863; 1873-4847
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2013.11.009

Sepsis is a leading cause of death in intensive care units worldwide. Low availability of glutamine contributes to the catabolic state of sepsis. l-Glutamine supplementation has antioxidant properties and modulates the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs). This study investigated the effects of oral supplementation with l-glutamine plus l-alanine (GLN+ALA), both in the free form and l-alanyl-l-glutamine dipeptide (DIP), on glutamine-glutathione (GSH) axis and HSPs expression in endotoxemic mice. B6.129F2/J mice were subjected to endotoxemia (lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli, 5 mg.kg−1, LPS group) and orally supplemented for 48 h with either l-glutamine (1 g.kg−1) plusl-alanine (0.61 g.kg−1) (GLN+ALA-LPS group) or 1.49 g.kg−1 of DIP (DIP-LPS group). Endotoxemia reduced plasma and muscle glutamine concentrations [relative to CTRL group] which were restored in both GLN+ALA-LPS and DIP-LPS groups (P