An experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of glutamine on the carbon turnover in the intestinal mucosa of weaned piglets. Nine matrices received diets predominantly composed by photosintetic cycle C4 plants during the gestation (d‰13C = -17.12) and lactation (d‰13C = -19.26). The piglets were weaned at 21 days of age, and 68 animals were fed rations composed by photosintetic cycle C3 plants (d‰13C = -25.12). The piglets were distributed at random in two treatments: one diet without glutamine supplementation and the other diet supplemented with 1% of glutamine. On days 0; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3; 3.5; 4; 4.5; 5; 5.5; 8; 11; 15, 20; 29 and 46 after weaning, two piglets from each diet were slaughtered for collection of samples of the intestinal mucosa which were analyzed for their isotopic composition in d‰13C and the carbon substitution speed was measured, in terms of the time. The half-life values of the carbon for the intestinal mucosa were 6.0 and 3.5 days, in control and glutamine treatments, respectively. Glutamine accelerated the carbon substitution speed of the intestinal mucous membrane, evidencing its beneficial action in the recovery of the intestine structure after weaning.
carbon-13; intestinal epithelium; swine; weaning
