Objective To observe the effects of intravenous glutamine(Gln) support on plasma lipopolysaccharide(LPS, endotoxin) and the acitvities of phospholipase A2(PLA2) and neutrophil elastase(NE) in the taurocholate-induced acute severe pancreatitis(ASP) in the pigs. Methods There were twenty-one pigs weighing 16~22kg, which were divided into four groups, including sham-controlled group(Group Sham, n=5), ASP-controlled group(Group ASP, n=5), ASP+glycine controlled group(Group Gly, n=5) and ASP+Gln supported group(Group Gln, n=6). Anesthesized pigs were subjected to ASP induced by injecting 1 ml/kg of mixed solution of 5% sodium taurocholate and 8000~10000 BAEE units trypsin/ml into pancreas via pancreatic duct, which was replaced by 0.9% sodium chloride phosphate buffer to be taken as Group Sham. Blood samples from caval vein was collected for the determinations of Gln, LPS, NE and PLA2. Plasma glutamine were measured by the high performance liquid-phase technique(the product of Waters, U.S.). Systemic plasma endotoxin levels was quantified by the chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate(LAL) technique. All pigs were intravenously sacrificed by injecting 20 ml of 10%KCl. Anything involved in the processes of the sampling, preserving, measuring and so on had to be depyrogenated and to be asepsis. Results Intravenous glutamine support could effectively prevent the decrease of systemic plasma glutamine levels(P<0.001), and reduced significantly the higher levels of systemic plasma LPS and the activities of plasma NE and PLA2 followed by acute severe pancreatitis induced by the mixed solusion of 5% sodium taurocholate and trypsin in pigs(P<0.001, 0.001 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusions It is suggested that keeping higher plasma glutamine could downregulate the levels of plasma LPS and the activities of plasma PLA2 and NE, which is beneficial to lessen the cascade inflammatory responses irritated by thses proinflammatory mediators and extro-pancreas’ organ functional lesion in pigs with ASP.