Abstracto

Effects of glutamine supplementation on body composition, food intake and energy metabolism in high fat fed mice.

Sandrina Bervini1,2, Louise Purtell3, Julia Aepler1, Yue Qi1*, Lesley V. Campbell3,4, Herbert Herzog1* ,

enhance recovery after surgery or trauma. It has also been reported to have beneficial effects on glycaemic control in diabetic patients, while rodent studies suggest that it may reduce body weight and lessen hyperglycaemia. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of daily supplementation of glutamine to high fat diet and to assess this in a mouse model with abnormal feeding behaviour: the Snord116 knockout mouse. Research methods: Adult male C57BL/6 mice and mice with deletion of the Snord116 gene cluster (implicated in Prader-Willi syndrome) were given ad libitum access to HFD for 12 weeks. Mice of both genotypes were randomly assigned to either the treatment or non-treatment group. Animals were supplemented with glutamine in food (40 mg/g HFD). Body weight was monitored weekly. Spontaneous and fasting-induced food intake, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure and body composition were assessed between 14 and 18 weeks of age. Results: Glutamine treatment did not attenuate the development of HFD-induced obesity in either WT or Snord116 knockout mice, with treatment and non-treatment groups within genotypes gaining weight at a similar rate during the monitoring period. There was also no difference between treatment groups within genotypes in food intake, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, energy expenditure or adiposity. Conclusion: Our results did not find evidence that would support beneficial metabolic effects of glutamine when administered daily; either in WT or Snord116 knockout mice fed a HFD.