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 less than 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.