BACKGROUND: Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in blood stream, playing an important role in the immune system. It is conditionally considered an essential amino acid to certain state conditions such as protein-energy malnutrition. AIM: To verify the effect of glutamine diet supplemented on hematological and biochemical variables in rats subjected to protocol of malnutrition, induced by an enriched lactose diet. METHODS: Total of 20 Wistar females rats, 21 days of age, were submitted or not to the protein-calorie malnutrition induced by diarrhea, using an enriched lactose diet 60% for 15 days. After malnutrition period, eutrophic or malnourished animals remained for 30 days provided with a variety diet (standard and experimental). According to nutritional status and treatment, animals were randomized into four distinct groups: 1) GC: animals eutrophic + standard diet, 2) GD: malnourished animals + enriched lactose diet (60%), 3) GDGLN: malnourished animals + enriched glutamine diet (2%); and 4) GDP: malnourished animals + standard diet. After the 30 days of nutritional treatment, blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture for biochemical (total protein, albumin and urea) and hematological evaluations (red and white blood cells quantification). RESULTS: After 15 days of experimental study, weight gain in the respective groups GD (46.4 ± 2.60 g), GDGLN (39.2 ± 8.9 g) and GDP (33.2 ± 11.5 g) was lower once compared to the control (64 ± 4.24 g, P <0.05). Biochemical examinations showed a significant difference in the urea dosage in GD as compared to other groups (33.4 ± 4.77 mg / dL, P<0.05). The leukocytes counting of GD (3.68 ± 1.0 cel/mm3 x103) showed reduced comparing to the rest of the groups (P<0.05), while red blood cell counting had not presented significant difference. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition affects leukocytes cell number, although such deleterious counting blood effect can be reversed by simple re-administration of nutrition, regardless of glutamine supplementation. The intake of oral glutamine does not affect the weight gain, biochemical variables of nutritional status, or leukocytes number while malnourished due to enriched lactose diet.
Supplementation; nutrition; Glutamine; Malnutrition
