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Dietary Supplementation of Nucleotides and Arginine Promotes Healing of Small Bowel Ulcers in Experimental Ulcerative Ileitis

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Abstract

We previously showed that intravenous totalparenteral nutrition supplemented with nucleosides andnucleotides (NS/NT) promoted ulcer healing in rats withindomethacin-induced ileitis. The present study evaluated whether dietary NT supplementationwould similarly affect ulcer healing in this model.Female Lewis rats were randomized into either control orexperimental groups receiving yeast RNA containing NT or arginine, glutamine, fish oil, guar gum,or a combination of yeast RNA + arginine diets. Ileitiswas induced by two doses of indomethacin (7.5 mg/kg)administered subcutaneously 24 hr apart. Ulcer number and length were determined at 4, 8, and 14 daysafter induction of ileitis. Ileal villous and cryptlength, crypt-villous ratio, and bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) labeling were studied in the control and yeast RNA-supplemented diet groups. Ileal ulcerationwas present in all groups at 4 and 8 days and was almosthealed by 14 days. Rats receiving yeast RNA, arginine,and yeast RNA + arginine diets showed a significant decrease in ulcer number (56%, 28%, and 34%,respectively) and length (67%, 41%, and 48%,respectively) compared to controls at 8 but not at 4days. Glutamine, fish oil, and guar gum had no effect onulcer healing at 4, 8, or 14 days. Among thehistological parameters, a significant decrease in cryptlength in the yeast RNA-supplemented group at 8 dayssuggested an acceleration of the healing process and restoration to a near-normal crypt-villousarchitecture. We conclude that the yeast RNA, arginine,and yeast RNA + arginine diets accelerated ulcerhealing, as indicated by decreased ulcer number andlength. We postulate that the underlying mechanism(s)contributing to ulcer healing may be related, in part,to increased cell proliferation.

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Authors
  1. Prabha Sukumar
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  2. Alice Loo
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  3. Edward Magur
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  4. Jyotirmoy Nandi
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  5. Albert Oler
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  6. Robert A. Levine
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Sukumar, P., Loo, A., Magur, E. et al. Dietary Supplementation of Nucleotides and Arginine Promotes Healing of Small Bowel Ulcers in Experimental Ulcerative Ileitis. Dig Dis Sci 42, 1530–1536 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018887331672

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