L-Glutamine
| Evidence Level: L5 | Predicted Indications: 10 |
Table of Contents
- L-Glutamine
- Pharmacist Assessment Report
- L-Glutamine: From Short Bowel Syndrome to Drug-Induced Osteoporosis
- One-Sentence Summary
- Quick Overview
- Why is This Prediction Reasonable?
- Clinical Trial Evidence
- Literature Evidence
- India Market Information
- Safety Considerations
- Conclusion and Next Steps
- Review Log
- Disclaimer
L-Glutamine: From Short Bowel Syndrome to Drug-Induced Osteoporosis
One-Sentence Summary
L-Glutamine is an amino acid originally associated with the treatment of short bowel syndrome. The TxGNN model’s top-ranked prediction is drug-induced osteoporosis, but that prediction has no supporting studies. The best-supported prediction is Dermatitis (rank 3), backed by 1 clinical trial (withdrawn, 0 enrolled) and 11 publications, mostly preclinical or supportive-care studies.
Quick Overview
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Original Indication | Short bowel syndrome |
| Predicted New Indication | Drug-induced osteoporosis (TxGNN rank 1, no evidence). Dermatitis (rank 3) is the best-supported candidate and is the focus of this report. |
| TxGNN Prediction Score | 0.9998 (drug-induced osteoporosis); 0.9985 (dermatitis) |
| Evidence Level | L5 (drug-induced osteoporosis); L3 (dermatitis) |
| India Market Status | Listed in a compiled Indian medicine price dataset (1 of 1) – CDSCO approval status is not included in this data |
| Number of Listed Products | 1 (valid: 1) |
| Recommended Decision | Hold (drug-induced osteoporosis); Hold for dermatitis, as a research question only |
Why is This Prediction Reasonable?
Drug-induced osteoporosis (rank 1). No clinical trials or literature were found, and no plausible mechanism linking glutamine to bone metabolism can be established from the data compiled for this report. The high score is a computational prediction only. The same applies to the other highly ranked predictions (hemorrhagic disease of newborn, acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, neonatal dermatomyositis, acne keloid, severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, familial hydroa vacciniforme, childhood secondary interstitial lung disease, and amyopathic dermatomyositis). None has any supporting studies.
Dermatitis (rank 3). Detailed mechanism of action data for L-glutamine is not available in the compiled data. The supporting rationale comes from preclinical literature:
- Glutamine suppressed DNFB-induced contact dermatitis in mice by deactivating p38 MAPK through induction of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1).
- Glutamine up-regulates MKP-1 through the Ca2+/ERK pathway.
- Glutamine attenuates itch by inducing GRK2 in an ERK-dependent way.
Clinical signals exist only in supportive-care settings: radiotherapy/chemotherapy-induced dermatitis, hand-foot skin reaction, and an elemental diet study. These are not direct evidence in primary dermatitis. Several studies used combination products (for example HMB/arginine/glutamine), so effects cannot be attributed to glutamine alone.
Clinical Trial Evidence
Dermatitis is the only prediction with a registered trial.
| Trial Number | Phase | Status | Enrollment | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04019769 | Early Phase 1 | Withdrawn | 0 | Planned safety and efficacy study of glutamine supplements in people aged 5-65 with atopic dermatitis and other immune dysregulation. Withdrawn with no participants, so no data. |
Literature Evidence
| PMID | Year | Type | Journal | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28588793 | 2017 | RCT (double-blind) | Mol Clin Oncol | 50 head and neck cancer patients received oral glutamine or placebo to reduce radio/chemotherapy-induced mucositis and dermatitis |
| 17984413 | 2007 | Clinical trial | Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med | Glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition in very low-birth-weight infants, assessing allergic and infectious disease in the first year |
| 30587616 | 2019 | Clinical study | In Vivo | HMB/arginine/glutamine supplement to prevent sorafenib-associated hand-foot skin reaction in hepatocellular carcinoma |
| 32699632 | 2020 | Clinical study | Mol Clin Oncol | Glutamine-rich elemental diet and chemotherapy-induced dermatitis and raw wound areas |
| 24394143 | 2013 | Clinical study | Gan To Kagaku Ryoho | Abound (HMB, glutamine, arginine) for capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome |
| 22727501 | 2012 | Preclinical (animal) | J Dermatol Sci | Glutamine suppressed DNFB-induced allergic contact dermatitis and itching |
| 23076500 | 2013 | Preclinical (animal) | J Invest Dermatol | Topical glutamine inhibited contact dermatitis in mouse ears via p38 MAPK deactivation and MKP-1 induction |
| 29530536 | 2018 | Preclinical (mechanistic) | J Invest Dermatol | Glutamine attenuates itch via rapid ERK-dependent induction of GRK2 |
| 28955885 | 2016 | Preclinical (in vitro) | Biochem Biophys Rep | Glutamine up-regulates MKP-1 through the Ca2+/ERK cascade |
| 25143595 | 2014 | Veterinary | Poultry Science | Glutamine/glutamate supplementation in broiler chickens, including foot pad dermatitis incidence |
India Market Information
| Authorization Number | Product Name | Dosage Form | Approved Indication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95958 | Glutamune DT 1000 Tablet | Strip of 10 dispersible tablets (oral) | Not specified |
Safety Considerations
Please refer to the package insert for safety information. No drug interaction records were found.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Decision: Hold
Rationale: The highest-scoring prediction (drug-induced osteoporosis) and most other predictions have no supporting trials or literature, so they remain computational outputs only. It is best treated as a research question rather than a candidate for development.
Review correction (2026-10-31): Originally stated: “The highest-scoring prediction (drug-induced osteoporosis) and most other predictions have no supporting trials or literature, so they remain computational outputs only. Dermatitis has plausible preclinical mechanisms and supportive-care clinical signals, but the only registered trial was withdrawn with no enrolment and the clinical studies do not address primary dermatitis.” Removed: it said the product records were cancelled, discontinued, or not current, which did not match the Indian medicine data (the Indian Medicine Dataset as of 2026-10-31). The data list 1 product record for this drug, 1 current; the Quick Overview and the table under India Market Information show the current figures. Source: Indian Medicine Dataset.
To proceed, the following is needed:
- Mechanism of action data for L-glutamine
- Package insert warnings and contraindications (Indian label information is currently missing)
- Controlled clinical studies of glutamine alone in dermatitis, such as atopic or contact dermatitis, to replace the withdrawn trial
- Evidence separating the effect of glutamine from the combination products used in supportive-care studies
- Dosage form and route assessment for the target dermatitis use, since the only registered product is an oral tablet
Review Log
Below is the review log for this page: statements checked against official Indian medicine data (the Indian Medicine Dataset used by this site). Corrections are limited to basic factual statements; model predictions, evidence levels, and conclusions were not rewritten.
| Review date | Item | Action | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-31 | Removed: “Dermatitis has plausible preclinical mechanisms and supportive-care clinical signals, but the only registered trial was withdrawn with no en” | Corrected | Indian Medicine Dataset |
Disclaimer
This content is for research purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical validation is required before any clinical application.