The effect of oral glutamine supplementation on gut permeability and heat shock protein regulation in runners with a history of gastrointestinal distress
type: CreativeWork
description: Gastrointestinal (GI) permeability increases during high intensity exercise leading to endotoxin leakage, and a pro-inflammatory immune response. The purpose of this study are to assess whether oral glutamine supplementation (1) reduces exercise induced permeability through up-regulation of the heat shock response resulting in occludin stabilization, and (2) depresses the exercise induced inflammatory response. Methods. Eight human subjects (n=8) participated in baseline (PRE) testing, a glutamine (GLN), and placebo (PLA) supplementation trial in a double blind design. After PRE measurements, subjects ingested .9g/kg fat free mass of glutamine per day or a sugar free lemon placebo drink for seven days with a one-month washout period between trials. A 60-min treadmill run at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption was performed at 30°C in an environmental chamber at the end of each supplementation period. Intestinal permeability was assessed at rest and during each trial through urine concentrations of lactulose and rhamnose. Plasma glutamine, plasma endotoxin, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell levels of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha (IκB-α) were measured pre-exercise, post-exercise, 2hr post-exercise, and 4hr post-exercise. Cultured caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells supplemented with three concentrations of GLN (0, 4, and 6mmol/L) were exposed to heat stress (41\xbaC) to simulate exercise and control (37\xbaC) conditions. HSP70, heat shock factor 1 (HSF-1), and occludin were measured from each culture. Results: Core temperature was not different between exercise trials (39.40 ± .39 vs. 39.54 ± .22 for PLA vs. GLN, respectively, p>0.05). Resting plasma glutamine levels were significantly higher in the GLN trial versus PLA (1.893 ± 0.245mmol.L vs. 0.8285 ± 0.078 mmol.L, p<0.05). Permeability as the ratio of lactulose to rhamnose was significantly higher in the PLA trial when …
abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) permeability increases during high intensity exercise leading to endotoxin leakage, and a pro-inflammatory immune response. The purpose of this study are to assess whether oral glutamine supplementation (1) reduces exercise induced permeability through up-regulation of the heat shock response resulting in occludin stabilization, and (2) depresses the exercise induced inflammatory response. Methods. Eight human subjects (n=8) participated in baseline (PRE) testing, a glutamine (GLN), and placebo (PLA) supplementation trial in a double blind design. After PRE measurements, subjects ingested .9g/kg fat free mass of glutamine per day or a sugar free lemon placebo drink for seven days with a one-month washout period between trials. A 60-min treadmill run at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption was performed at 30°C in an environmental chamber at the end of each supplementation period. Intestinal permeability was assessed at rest and during each trial through urine concentrations of lactulose and rhamnose. Plasma glutamine, plasma endotoxin, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell levels of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha (IκB-α) were measured pre-exercise, post-exercise, 2hr post-exercise, and 4hr post-exercise. Cultured caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells supplemented with three concentrations of GLN (0, 4, and 6mmol/L) were exposed to heat stress (41\xbaC) to simulate exercise and control (37\xbaC) conditions. HSP70, heat shock factor 1 (HSF-1), and occludin were measured from each culture. Results: Core temperature was not different between exercise trials (39.40 ± .39 vs. 39.54 ± .22 for PLA vs. GLN, respectively, p>0.05). Resting plasma glutamine levels were significantly higher in the GLN trial versus PLA (1.893 ± 0.245mmol.L vs. 0.8285 ± 0.078 mmol.L, p<0.05). Permeability as the ratio of lactulose to rhamnose was significantly higher in the PLA trial when …
author: Zuhl, Micah
language: English
keywords: Gastrointestinal Permeability, Exercise, Heat Shock Proteins
date published: 2013-01-31T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:26:22Z
provider: University of New Mexico
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of New Mexico

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1928/22082