Effect Of Glutamine On Bacterial Translocation From Gut After Paraplegia Caused By Spinal Cord Injury In Rats

Objectives: 1. To investigate the characteristic of bacterial translocation from gut after paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury in rats. 2. To observe the effects of glutamine on intestinal bacterial translocation following paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury in rats.Methods: Fifty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group A (normal control group, n=10) : The rats were fed with ordinary feedstuff;Group B (the sham-operative control group,n=10): Only skin-cutting was performed,and the rats were also fed with ordinary feedstuff; Group C ( operative control group, n=18) : The rats were fed with only ordinary feedstuff after complete spinal cord injury;Group D (operative and therapeutic group, n=18): The rats were orally administered with alanyl-glutamine and ordinary feedstuff every day after complete spinal cord injury. Under aseptic manipulation, specimens of the liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, blood of portal vein and contents in ileum were obtained for bacterial cultures six day after operation. In themeantime, liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, jejunum, and ileum were sampled for histologic examination. Results:1. Bacterial cultures :No bacteria were detected in all samples in group A. Bacterial growth was only found in mesenteric lymph node culture of a rat in group B.Both the positive rate of bacteria cultures in all organs and the rate of intestinal bacterial translocation in group D were significantly lower than those in group C (14/72 vs 37/72,P<0.0005 and 8/18 vs 16/18,P=0.012).2. Histological findings:The histological damages in rats with spinal cord injury in group C or in group D mainly included: (1)congesting in central vein, swelling of liver cells;(2)proliferating of lymphoid nodule in peripheral cortex and broadening of paracortical zone in mesenteric lymph node;(3)proliferating of splenic corpuscle and periarterial lymphatic sheath in spleen;(4)hyperaemia of blood vessel, necrosis of mucosal epithelial cells , and proliferation of submucosal lymphatic tissue in small intestine .However, the histological damages in group D were much milder than those of group C .3. Ultrastructural observation:The epithelial cell interspaces of ileum mucosa of rats broadened after spinal cord injury in group C and group D.But histological changes of group D were much milder than those of group C.