Syndecan-1 is the predominant heparan sulfate proteoglycan found on the surface of epithelial cells, and like glutamine, is essential in maintaining the intestinal epithelial barrier. We therefore hypothesized that loss of epithelial syndecan-1 would abrogate the gut protective effects of enteral glutamine. Both an in vitro and in vivo model of gut ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) was utilized. In vitro, intestinal epithelial cells underwent hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) to mimic gut I/R with 2mM (physiologic) or 10 mM glutamine supplementation. Permeability, caspase activity, cell growth, and cell surface and shed syndecan-1 were assessed. In vivo, wild type (WT) and syndecan-1 knockout (KO) mice received ± enteral glutamine followed by gut I/R. Intestinal injury was assessed by fluorescent dye clearance and histopathology, permeability as mucosal to serosal clearance ex vivo in everted sacs, and inflammation by myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. In an in vitro model of gut I/R, glutamine supplementation reduced epithelial cell permeability and apoptosis and enhanced cell growth. Shed syndecan-1 was reduced by glutamine without an increase in syndecan-1 mRNA. In vivo, intestinal permeability, inflammation, and injury were increased after gut I/R in WT mice and further increased in syndecan-1 KO mice. Glutamine’s attenuation of I/R-induced intestinal hyperpermeability, inflammation, and injury were abolished in syndecan-1 KO mice. These results suggest that syndecan-1 plays a novel role in the protective effects of enteral glutamine in the post ischemic gut.