MULTI-TRACE-ELEMENT SUPPLEMENTATION IN ENTERAL FORMULAS FOR BURNED GUINEA-PIGS

A burned guinea pig model (30% total-body surface area) was used to study the effects of supplemental trace elements. The animals were fed via gastrostomy with identical formulas (175 kcal.kg-1.day-1, 20% of calories as protein) supplemented with varying amounts of the multi-trace-element preparation MTE-5. Animals in group 1 received no MTE-5, group 2 received 5 ml/L diet, group 3 received 20 ml/L diet, and group 4 received 50 ml/L diet. After 14 days of tube feeding, the animals were killed. Results indicated no significant differences in resting metabolic rate or body weight. However, animals in group 4 were found to have heavier carcass, jejunum gut, and mucosal weights compared with animals in group 1. In a second experiment, all animals received 5 ml of MTE-5/L diet. In each group, however, one of the trace elements (manganese, chromium, selenium, and copper) was elevated to the concentration found in 50 ml of MTE-5. The results shows no significant group differences when only one of the trace elements was elevated in the diet. Together, these results demonstrated that the addition of trace elements to an enteral diet increased carcass and gut mucosal weight in a standard dose-response fashion. All four of the trace elements evaluated were necessary for this response. It is suggested that the addition of larger requirements of trace elements than previously reported may be beneficial after thermal injury.