Protective effect of β-D-glucan and glutamine on the genomic instability induced by Cytarabine/Ara-C in BALB/c mice

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules Vol. 117; pp. 559 - 564
• Main Authors: de Souza Silva, Priscilla Mirian, de Sousa, Raimundo Vicente, Simão, Anderson Assaid, Cesar, Pedro Henrique Souza, Trento, Marcus Vinicius Cardoso, Marcussi, Silvana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Antigenotoxic potential; Comet assay; Functional carbohydrates; Glutamine supplementation; Mitotic index; β-D-glucan supplementation; β-D-glucan supplementation; Glutamine supplementation; Mitotic index; Antigenotoxic potential; Comet assay; Functional carbohydrates
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.05.206

Prophylactic antibiotics and growth promoters have been substituted, mainly for livestock, by immunomodulators and intestinal health promoters - such as β-D-glucans and glutamine. The aim of this study was to verify the beneficial effects of β-D-glucans and glutamine against Cytarabine/Ara-C, evaluating the DNA damage in leukocytes, the leukogram, and the mitotic index of intestinal crypts cells. Balb/C mice received treatment with β-D-glucan (80 mg/Kg), glutamine (150 mg/Kg), or both, for 21 days. On the last two days of this period, Ara-C was administered (1.8 mg/animal) by intraperitoneal injection every 12 h. The animals submitted to the treatment with Ara-C presented the highest genotoxic index, a significant leukopenia, and a decrease in the mitotic index of the intestinal crypts cells. Treatment with β-D-glucan protected the leukocytes against DNA fragmentation induced by Ara-C. Glutamine alone promoted maintenance of the mitotic index and, in association with β-Dglucan, reduced leukopenia. Thus, the use of β-D-glucan and glutamine proved to be beneficial to intestinal tropism. This can happen once the damage to the genetic material, prevented by the treatments with β-D-glucan and glutamine, can result in genotoxicity. Not only this, but it might be capable of turning into a mutagenesis, with consequential physiopathological alterations. [Display omitted]