Vol. 42 (3): 603-607, May – June, 2016

doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2015.0187


ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effects of L-Glutamine oral supplementation on prostate of irradiated rats

Flavia C. M. Pinto 1, Waldemar S. Costa 2, Pamella C. Silva, 2, Diogo B. De Souza 2, Bianca Gregório 2, Francisco J. B. Sampaio 2
1 Núcleo de Cirurgia Experimental do Departamento de Cirurgia da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, PE, Brasil; 2 Unidade de Pesquisa Urogenital da Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, RJ, Brasil

ABSTRACT  

Objectives: To investigate the protective effect of L-Glutamine in animals undergone to ventral radiation when the target organ is not the prostate.
Materials and Methods: Wistar rats were divided into groups of 10 animals each: Con¬trols (C), maintained under standard conditions and not exposed to radiation, Radiated group (R) undergone to abdominal radiation only and Radiated plus supplemented by L-glutamine group (R+G). The animals of group R+G were supplemented with L¬-glutamine at the beginning of the experiment until death in the 22nd day. The ventral prostate was dissected and processed for morphometrical analysis. The epithelial hei¬ght, collagen density and acinar area were objectively assessed in histological sections.
Results: Epithelial height was significantly reduced in R group in comparison to C group (p= 0.005). However, there was no statistical difference between the C and R+G groups. Collagen surface density in the C and R groups were not statistically different, but a significant difference was observed when comparing groups R+G and R (p= 0.040). The R+G group values did not differ significantly from C group. The acinar prostate area of group R was similar to that of C (p= 0.971), but in R+G it was signifi¬cantly reduced when compared with the C (p= 0.038) and R (p= 0.001) groups.
Conclusions: Pelvic radiation promotes structural modifications in ventral prostate of rats, which can be reduced by L-Glutamine.

Keywords: L-glutamine 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose aminotransferase [Supplementary Concept]; Prostate; Rats

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