The Protective Effect Of Yeast β-glucan On Mice After Radiation

Purpose:Polysaccharides’ protective effect of radiation has become a research hot spot in recent years the field of radiation protectant. More studies are focusing on the plant and fungal polysaccharides with the high efficiency and low toxicity such asβ-glucan polysaccharides, angelica polysaccharides,and madder. A variety of polysaccharides seems to become a series of very promising natural radiation protectant because of their anti-radiation effect. Previously, a large number of interests have shown on yeast P-glucan research. Yeast P-glucan has variety of physiological activities such as enhance the human immune system, antioxidant and free radical scavenging, anti-aging effect, lipid-lowering and treating arthritis. However, the study on protective role of yeast P-glucan in the heavy ion and electron beam radiation damage is still very rare. In this study, mice were irradiated with heavy ion12C6+beam and electron beam to detect yeast β-glucan protective effect of12C6+ion beam and electron beam radiation injury.Materials and methods:In this study, female Kunming mice were randomly divided into5groups (n=10). Normal control group (A) radiation model group (B), low dose of yeast P-glucan group (C), moderate dose of yeast P-glucan group (D) and high dose of yeast β-glucan group (E). C, D and E, Three groups, C, D and E, were daily oral administration of low, middle, high dose of yeast P-glucan respectively. The other two groups were forced feeding the same amount of saline. After two weeks, the four groups B, C, D, E, were given one-time total body irradiation with2.0Gy12C6+ion beams or50Gy electron beams. After irradiation, three groups C, D and E, continue to oral administration yeast P-glucan and the other two groups were forced feeding the same amount of saline. The following indicators were observed after a week: (1) The changes in body weight, coat color and behavior of mice.(2) The peripheral blood leukocytes, red blood cells, platelets, lymphocyte count of mice.(3) The spleen and thymus index, the activity of SOD, GSH-PX and MDA content in thymus and spleen tissues of mice.Results:Mice those were given yeast β-glucan can reduced the irradiation caused loss of appetite, dark in coat color, a rapid reduce in weight. β-glucan can increased the mouse peripheral blood leukocyte content but it has barely effect on mouse red blood cells platelet sand the number of lymphocytes. β-glucan can also incresed the degree of the thymus and spleen SOD, GSH-PX activity and reduced content of MDA in thymus and spleen.Conclusions:(1) Mice those irradiated by12C6+ions beam and by and electron beam were shown dark in colour, depressing, decreased in eating and drinking, significantly losing weight. Compared with model group, yeast β-glucan feeding group can markedly reducing the weight loss of mice after irradiation, but it did not seen the obvious dose dependent.(2) Yeast β-glucan has certain protective effect to the thymus and spleen of mice immune organ damage by electron beam irradiation induced injury. Yeast β-glucan can improve the viscera index.(3) Yeast β glucan has certain protective effect to mice antioxidant system injury by12C6+ion irradiation; it can improve SOD, GSH-PX activity and reduce the MDA content of the thymus and spleen in mice(4) Yeast β-glucan has protective effect the mice blood system damaged by12C6+ions to and electron beam radiation. It can effectively reduce the number decreasing of the white cell and lymphocyte after irradiation, β-gulcan can also promote white blood cells and lymphatic cells’regeneration.