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PURPOSE: Radiotherapy is widely used for cancer treatment but has harmful effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of L-arginine and glycine supplementation on the colon wall of rats submitted to abdominal irradiation. METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: I-healthy, II-irradiated with no amino acid supplementation, III-irradiated and supplemented with L-arginine, and IV-irradiated and supplemented with glycine. The animals received supplementation for 14 days, with irradiation being applied on the eighth day of the experiment. All animals underwent laparotomy on the 15th day for resection of a colonic segment for stereologic analysis. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at p ≤0.05. RESULTS: Stereologic analysis showed that irradiation induced a reduction of the total volume of the colon wall of group II and III animals compared to healthy controls, but not of group IV animals supplemented with glycine. The mucosal layer of the irradiated animals of all groups was reduced compared to healthy group I animals, but supplementation with L-arginine and glycine was effective in maintaining the epithelial surface of the mucosal layer. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that glycine supplementation had a superior effect on the irradiated colon wall compared to L-arginine supplementation since it was able to maintain the thickness of the wall and the epithelial surface of the mucosa, whereas L-arginine maintained the partial volume of the epithelium and the epithelial surface, but not the total volume of the intestinal wall.

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BACKGROUND: Intestinal barrier disruption followed by bacterial translocation seems to play a role in secondary pancreatic infection in acute pancreatitis. The use of probiotics as a possible adjuvant strategy in the treatment of acute pancreatitis needs to be investigated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with a prophylactically administered multispecies probiotic mixture on the markers of acute pancreatitis and on the occurrence of bacterial translocation. METHODS: Thirty adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups of 10 rats each: (1) the PS group, in which the rats were given probiotic supplementation prior to induction of acute pancreatitis; (2) the WP group, in which the rats underwent surgery to induce acute pancreatitis without prior probiotic supplementation; and (3) the control group, in which the rats underwent sham surgery. For 14 days before surgery, animals in the PS group received a single daily dose containing ~1.2 × 10(9) colony-forming units of a probiotic mixture administered intragastrically as a bolus. On day 15, the animals underwent surgery to induce acute pancreatitis (PS and WP groups) or simulated surgery (control group). Blood samples were collected to determine leukocyte count, amylase and lipase activities, and glucose and calcium concentrations immediately before and 6 and 12 hours after the beginning of the procedure. Samples of pancreas, spleen, liver, and mesenteric lymph nodes were harvested for microbiologic and histopathologic analysis after the last blood sample collection. The pathologist examining the histopathology was blinded to treatment assignment. RESULTS: The mean leukocyte count was significantly increased in the PS group compared with the WP group (P = 0.018), whereas the serum amylase and lipase activities and the serum glucose and calcium concentrations were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Comparing the risk for tissue colonization in the PS group with that of the WP group, the odds ratio (OR) for pancreas was 2.91 (95% CI, 0.13-67.10); liver, 66.55 (95% CI, 1.89-2282.66); spleen, 88.58 (95% CI, 3.04-2583.08); and mesenteric lymph nodes, 1.23 (95% CI, 0.06-25.48). When the risks for histopathologic changes were compared between the 2 groups, the OR for acinar necrosis was 1.73 (95% CI, 0.21-12.17); steatonecrosis, 12.08 (95% CI, 1.26-115.54); hemorrhage, 1.38 (95% CI, 0.21-9.53); and leukocyte infiltration, 5.91 (95% CI, 0.64-54.89). CONCLUSION: Probiotic supplementation before the induction of acute pancreatitis was associated with a greater degree of bacterial translocation and pancreatic tissue damage in this animal model.

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Radiotherapy is frequently used for cancer treatment, but it may be associated with several complications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the role of L-glutamine and/or glycine supplementation on the colonic wall in rats submitted to abdominal radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: I-healthy, II (control)-irradiated rats without amino acid supplementation, III-irradiated rats with glycine supplementation, IV-irradiated rats with L-glutamine supplementation, V-irradiated rats with glycine supplementation 7 days before irradiation and with L-glutamine supplementation 7 days after irradiation, and VI-irradiated rats with L-glutamine supplementation 7 days before irradiation and with glycine supplementation 7 days after irradiation. Abdominal irradiation was employed with a dose of 1,000 cGy on the eighth day of the experiment. All animals underwent laparotomy on the 15th day for resection of a colonic segment for stereologic analysis. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at p

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