Experimental evaluation of the effect of beta-D-glucan on the survival of irradiated mice

Abstract

The relevance is determined by the need to develop new means of antiradiation protection, which could be used for irradiating people in case of emergency situations or for medical use of ionizing radiation for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Aim: to evaluate the prospects of beta-D-glucan as a candidate drug for the development of a pharmacological means to reduce the toxic effects of radiation exposure. Materials and methods. In experiments on male mice the protective effect of beta-D-glucan derived from Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom on the parameters of 30-day survival of irradiated rodents exposed to lethal doses of X-ray radiation was studied. Beta-D-glucan was administered intragastrically in different doses in preventive or therapeutic regimens. Results. It was shown that intragastric administration of beta-D-glucan at a dose of 500 mg/kg 1 h after 7.5 Gy X-Ray irradiation protected from the death of irradiated mice. There was a 27% increase in the 30-day survival rate of mice compared to the control group (47% and 20%, respectively). This dose of the drug also increased the 30-day survival rate of mice by 26% when administered 0.5 h before or 2 hours after 8 Gy irradiation. The good tolerance of intragastric administration of beta-D-glucan in mice at a dose of 500 mg/kg was shown. There were no negative effects of the drug during 3 weeks of follow-up. Conclusion. The results can indicate that beta-D-glucan derived from Pleurotus ostreatus has an antiradiation potential in the oral route of administration, having a protective effect on the survival of lethally irradiated animals, and shows the properties of a radiomitigator and radioprotector, but the identified effect requires further study.