The effect of arginine supplementation on growth hormone release and intestinal mucosal growth after massive small bowel resection in growing rats

Four-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a 90% small bowel resection. From the fourth day after surgery, they were divided into group 1 and 2, and pair-fed by elemental diets (0.8 kcal/ml, 50 ml/day) with L-arginine (n = 10) or L-glycine (n = 11) as an isonitrogenous and isoenergetic supplement for 3 weeks. They were compared with each other 3 weeks after surgery. A statistical analysis was performed using the unpaired Student's t test and the one-way factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Bonferroni/Dunn multiple comparison test. A P value of < .05 was considered significant. There were no significant differences between the two groups in food intake, body weight, tail length, residual ileal length, and plasma IGF-I lever. However, the mean height of ileal villi in group 1 showed higher than that in group 2 (P < .01). Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) provocative tests (1 mu g per rat, intravenously) showed the more significant elevation of growth hormone (GH) secretion in the arginine supplement group than that of glycine supplement group at 5 minutes (P < .05). There were no significant differences between basal levels of plasma rat GH in both groups. It is suggested that arginine has a possible significant role of GH secretion and intestinal mucosal growth after massive small bowel resection. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.