1. The effects of parenteral nutrition with or without xylitol and/or glutamine supplementation were studied in septic rats after 4 days of treatment.

2. Septic rats treated with xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition survived sepsis significantly better than other parenteral nutrition-treated septic rats: the cumulative percentage of deaths over 4 days in septic rats treated with xylitol-glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition was 9.5% compared with 54.5% in septic rats given parenteral nutrition without xylitol and glutamine, and 52.4% in septic rats treated with parenteral nutrition supplemented with glucose.

3. Xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition resulted in improved nitrogen balance in septic rats: the cumulative nitrogen balance over the 4 days of treatment was positive in the rats given xylitol-supplemented parenteral nutrition and more positive when rats were treated with xylitol-glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition, as compared with other groups of septic rats.

4. The rate of loss of intracellular glutamine in skeletal muscle was markedly decreased (P < 0.001) in response to xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition in septic rats.

5. Hepatic protein and RNA contents were increased in septic rats treated with xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition. Similarly, protein and RNA contents were markedly increased in muscles of septic rats treated with xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition.

6. The rates of incorporation of leucine/tyrosine into liver/muscle proteins in vitro were increased and the rate of muscular tyrosine release was decreased in response to xylitol- and/or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition in septic rats.

7. It is concluded that the administration of xylitol- and/ or glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition is beneficial to septic rats and possibly to septic patients.

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