Examination of metabolism of viscera drained by the portal vein in neonatal calves, using short-term intravenous infusions of glutamine and other nutrients

OBJECTIVE: To quantify glutamine use in viscera drained by the portal vein in neonatal calves and to assess the relative nutritional importance of glutamine, glucose, and acetate for enterocytes. ANIMALS: 5 healthy neonatal calves. PROCEDURE: A femoral artery, jugular vein, and the portal vein were surgically cannulated in each calf. Blood flow in the portal vein was measured by use of an ultrasonographic transit-time flow probe. A series of solutions was infused on 4 days for each calf. On the infusion days, acetate, glucose, glutamine, and saline (0.9% NaCl; control) solutions were administered IV during 1-hour periods via the jugular vein. Venous and arterial blood samples were collected during the last 15 minutes of each 1-hour infusion. RESULTS: Uptake of glutamine and glucose by viscera drained by the portal vein was 0.3+/-1.1 and 1.9+/-3.1 micromol/kg0.75/min, respectively, during saline infusion. During acetate, glucose, and saline infusions, glucose was a greater source of energy for the intestines than was glutamine. However, during glutamine infusion, uptake of glutamine by viscera drained by the portal vein increased significantly (29.9+/-11.2 micromol/kg0.75/min), which was associated with an increase in ammonia production (7.0+/-0.5 micromol/kg0.75/min). Toxicosis was not associated with IV administration of glutamine. CONCLUSION: Glutamine infusion resulted in an increase in glutamine uptake by viscera drained by the portal vein, which was associated with an increase in ammonia production and a slight increase in oxygen consumption. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These solutions may be used to develop treatments that enhance healing of intestines of diarrheic calves.