Sepsis Grant

One of CTRAL’s research scientists, Gabriella ten Have, received an ESPEN Research Fellowship grant to study the effect of internal nutritional intervention on glucose metabolism during pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis.

The primary significance of this project is the development of a new approach to nutritional support in sepsis that will promote and preserve muscle mass and have no adverse physiological effects.

Sepsis Characteristics


Sepsis is characterized by severe redox imbalance. Glutathione (GSH) plays a major role in cellular defense against oxidative and nitrosative stress. In septic patients, the GSH pool is depleted in muscle.

Despite the well-organized importance of supporting organ and tissue metabolism in sepsis with appropriate nutrition, there is little agreement on the best approach; we lack information about the effects of nutrition on GSH metabolism.

Research Findings


This research investigates the hypothesis of whether nutritional therapy during sepsis is able to improve function and metabolism and how GSH synthesis is stimulated by increased availability of precursors.

Further research was conducted to quantify the response of protein synthesis in muscle, gut, and liver to specific formulations of amino acids designed to stimulate protein synthesis.

This work was supported in part by the National Institute of General Medicinal Sciences Grant R-01 GM-084447.

This line of research also assesses muscle function and physical activity by targeted nutritional support during recovery from sepsis.

This work is supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH2010259.

Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Army.