Can oral glutamine prevent mucositis in children undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation?
Stephen T Sonis
Correspondence Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Dentistry, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Email ssonis@partners.org
This article has no abstract so we have provided the first paragraph of the full text.
Glutamine is an abundant naturally occurring amino acid that accounts for almost two-thirds of the free amino acid pool in the human body. Glutamine is known to have a role in the maintenance and healing of tissues, especially in the gastrointestinal mucosa. Consequently, it is not surprising that this amino acid has been studied as a potential intervention for mucosal injury associated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Glutamine, as a mucosal cytoprotectant and healing accelerant, has been used in topical (oral rinses that are swished and swallowed), oral and parenteral formulations. Aquino et al. report on glutamine treatment for mucositis associated with HSCT, but glutamine has also been evaluated as an intervention for mucositis occurring in response to a variety of chemotherapy regimens, and radiotherapy. The outcomes of these trials have been inconsistent.
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