Table 3.
Studies evaluating the effect of glutamine supplementation on wound healing and reported outcomes.
| Study | Duration | Patient Population | n | Dosage | Control Group | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gln (g/kg BW/day) | Gln Dip (g/kg BW/day Ala-Gln) | ||||||
| Oʼriordain et al. [69] | 5 days | Surgery | 22 | 0.18 | 0.27 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ T-cell lymphocytes,  IL-2, IL-6, TNFα |
| De Beaux et al. [70] | 7 days | Critical illness | 14 | 0.22 | 0.33 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ Lymphocytes, ↓ IL-8, IL-6 |
| Morlion et al. [71] | 5 days | Surgery | 28 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ LOS and patient mortality, ↑ Mood and general well-being |
| Jacobi et al. [72] | 7 days | Surgery | 34 | 0.27 | 0.4 | Isonitrogenous solution |
IL-10, ↑ Wound healing |
| Jiang et al. [73] | 7 days | Abdominal surgery | 60 | 0.34 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ LOS |
| Powell-Tuck et al. [74] | 4–16.5 days | Mixed | 168 | 0.26 | 0.38 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ LOS and patient mortality |
| Mertes et al. [75] | 6 days | Abdominal surgery | 37 | 0.34 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ LOS, IL-6 |
| Karwowska et al. [76] | 10 days | Surgery | 30 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ IgA and IgG, ↑ T-cell lymphocytes, ↓ LOS |
| Neri et al. [77] | >7 days | Surgery | 33 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ LOS |
| Wischmeyer et al. [78] | >7 days | Critical illness | 31 | 0.57 | 0.85 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ CRP |
| Goeters et al. [61] | >9 days | Surgery | 144 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution |
NO, ↓ Patient mortality |
| Lin et al. [79] | 6 days | Abdominal surgery | 48 | 0.28 | 0.417 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ IL-6, ↑ T-cell lymphocytes |
| Ockenga et al. [80] | >7 days | Critical illness | 28 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ Lymphocytes, ↓ LOS, ↓ CRP |
| Fuentes-Orozco et al. [81] | 10 days | Surgery | 10 | 0.27 | 0.4 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ Infectious complications, ↑ Lymphocytes CD4 CD8 |
| Xian-Li et al. [62] | 14 days | Critical illness | 69 | 0.27 | 0.4 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ LOS and patient mortality |
| Zhou et al. [82] | 12 days | Critical illness | 30 | 0.34 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ Wound healing, ↓ Intestinal permeability |
| Quan et al. [83] | 7 days | Abdominal surgery | 20 | 0.53 | 0.78 | Not specified | ↓ Intestinal permeability |
| Kłek et al. [84] | 12 days | Surgery | 105 | 0.27 | 0.4 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ Lymphocytes, ↓ LOS |
| Lin et al. [85] | 6 days | Abdominal surgery | 48 | 0.28 | 0.417 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ IL-6 |
| Yao et al. [86] | 5 days | Surgery | 40 | 0.34 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ LOS, ↑ CD14 |
| Déchelotte et al. [87] | 5 days | Surgery | 143 | 0.3 | 0.45 | Isonitrogenous solution |
LOS, ↑ NO, ↓ Intestinal permeability |
| Şahin et al. [88] | 10.5 ± 3.6 days | Critical illness | 40 | 0.3 | 0.45 | Isonitrogenous solution |
T-cell lymphocytes, ↓ LOS |
| Cai et al. [89] | 14 days | Critical illness | 110 | 0.19 | 0.29 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ T-cell lymphocytes, ↓ CRP |
| Duška et al. [90] | 13 days | Critical illness | 30 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO |
| Estívariz et al. [91] | 7 days | Surgery | 63 | 0.34 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution |
T-cell Lymphocytes, ↓ Nosocomial infections |
| Dong et al. [92] | 6 days | Abdominal surgery | 40 | 0.35 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ T-cell lymphocytes, ↓ TNFα, ↓ IL-2R |
| Fuentes-Orozco et al. [93] | 10 days | Critical illness | 44 | 0.27 | 0.4 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ T-cell lymphocytes, ↑ IgA, ↑ NO, ↓ CRP, ↑ IL-10, ↓ IL-6 |
| Yeh et al. [94] | 7 days | Surgery | 70 | 0.2 | 0.29 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ CRP, ↓ LOS, Patient mortality |
| Asprer et al. [95] | 5 days preoperatively | Abdominal surgery | 34 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ Lymphocytes |
| Engel et al. [63] | 3 days | Surgery | 58 | 0.5 | 0.74 | Isonitrogenous solution |
T-cell lymphocytes |
| Fan et al. [96] | 7 days | Abdominal surgery | 40 | 0.13 | 0.2 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ LOS and infectious complications |
| Quan et al. [97] | 4 days | Abdominal surgery | 20 | 0.35 | 0.5 | Normal saline | ↑ NO, ↓ IL-6 |
| Andrews et al. [98] | Up to 7 days | Mixed | 502 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Isonitrogenous solution |
Patient mortality |
| Çekmen et al. [99] | >5 days | Mixed | 30 | 0.35 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ CRP, ↓ LOS and patient mortality |
| Grau et al. [100] | 5–9 days | Mixed | 127 | 0.35 | 0.5 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ Nosocomial infections |
| Lu et al. [101] | 7 days | Surgery | 50 | 0.3 | 0.45 | Isonitrogenous solution | ↑ NO, ↓ IL-6, ↓ CRP, ↓ Infectious complications |
| Wernerman et al. [102] | 7 days | Mixed | 413 | 0.28 | 0.42 | Normal saline | ↓ LOS and patient mortality |
| Xu et al. [103] | 12 days | Critical illness | 80 | Unknown | Unknown | Isonitrogenous solution | ↓ TNFα |
| Richard et al. [104] | 3 days pre, 4 days postoperatively | Surgery | 22 | 0.53 | 0.78 | Not supplemented | ↓ LOS and patient mortality, ↓ CRP |
Ala: alanine; BW: body weight; CRP: C-reactive protein; Gln: glutamine; Gln dip: glutamine dipeptide; IgA: immunoglobulin A; IL-2R: interleukin-2 receptor; IL-6: interleukin-6; LOS: length of stay; NO: nitric oxide; TNFα: tumor necrosis factor α; ↑: increases; ↓: decreases; does not increase or decrease.