Abstracts
1998 Digestive Disease Week

#1063

THE ENTEROTROPHIC EFFECTS OF GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE 2 ARE ENHANCED BY NEUROTENSIN. D.A. Litvak, M.R. Hellmich, B.M. Evers, C.M. Townsend, Jr., Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, Texas.

Combination therapy with enterotrophic agents is beneficial to some patients with the short bowel syndrome; nevertheless, effective treatment to augment gut growth during periods of disease does not exist. The gut hormones neurotensin (NT) and glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) are potent intestinal trophic factors; however, their combined effects are not known. Using a GLP-2 producing tumor (STC-1), we determined whether NT could enhance the effect of GLP-2 on intestinal growth. METHODS. Athymic mice were injected with STC-1 cells (6 x 106) subcutaneously (sc). Twenty-three days after tumor transplantation, mice received either NT (300 µg/kg) or saline (control) sc, tid for 6 days. In addition, two groups of tumor-free mice received either saline or NT for 6 days. After 30 days, small intestine was collected, divided into jejunum and ileum, weighed, and analyzed for DNA and protein content. (Data as mean ± SEM. * = p<0.05 vs. control; _ = p<0.05 vs. NT; _ = p<0.05 vs. STC-1 control). RESULTS. In the jejunum, NT combined with GLP-2 (from STC-1) increased weight and protein content (markers of mucosal hypertrophy) compared to GLP-2 alone and weight, DNA content (a marker of mucosal hyperplasia), and protein content compared to control or NT alone. In the ileum, the combination of NT and GLP-2 significantly increased weight and protein content compared to control or NT alone and weight compared to GLP-2 alone. CONCLUSIONS. We have shown that NT augments the enterotrophic effects of GLP-2. The combination of NT and GLP-2 may be useful to enhance intestinal growth in patients with the short bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease.

Copyright 1996 - 1998, SSAT, Inc. Revised 29 June 1998.