Glucan, a beta-1,3-linked polyglucose derived from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a broad spectrum enhancer of host defense mechanisms stimulating humoral and cell-mediated immunity. On the basis of these features, glucan has been tested by the authors' research group in experiments on gamma-irradiated mice. Two glucan forms, particulate and soluble, have been studied. Attention has been focused on various application regimens in relation to the time of irradiation (pre- or postirradiation application), the possibilities of using glucan in various radiation regimens (single or repeated irradiation), combined pharmacological therapy (joint administration of glucan with cystamine or inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis), and on the negative side effects of therapy with glucan. Some studies included also experiments on unirradiated mice. The results have demonstrated the ability of glucan to influence positively the course of the acute radiation disease. Stimulation of hematopoiesis has been found to be the most important mechanism of glucan's radioprotective effects. In this communication, the results of 11 full-length articles are summarized and discussed.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Stimulatory effect of intermittent feeding on hemopoietic recovery in sublethally gamma-irradiated mice.

The effect of three-week adaptation to intermittent feeding on the recovery of the hemopoietic functions of mice after sublethal gamma irradiation was investigated. Measurement of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide output and the respiratory quotient demonstrated an increased metabolic rate in the intermittently fed animals and an accentuation of lipogenic processes. This metabolic state persisted even after irradiation. An improvement in the recovery of hemopoietic functions after irradiation was demonstrated in adapted animals, which was reflected by the increased proliferative activity of the hemopoietic cell populations (more intensive incorporation of 125I-UdR into the DNA of cells of the spleen, thymus and femoral bone marrow), by more rapid renewal of spleen weight, more rapid recovery of the femoral bone marrow cellularity and increased levels of granulocytes in peripheral blood.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intermittent feeding as a factor enhancing hemopoietic stem cell proliferation and spleen colony formation in irradiated mice.

The influence of metabolic stimulation induced by a 3 weeks' adaptation of the animals to intermittent food intake on hemopoietic stem cells was investigated in mice. The methods used included transplantation of bone marrow to lethally irradiated recipients, assay of CFUs number, seeding efficiency, and incorporation of 125iododeoxyuridine into the DNA of spleen cells. A stimulatory effect of the metabolically influenced hemopoietic environment on the proliferative activity in stem cell compartments and on the recovery of hemopoietic organs was demonstrated. These stimulatory effects were most marked when the bone marrow of metabolically influenced donors was transplanted to similarly influenced recipients.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancement of hemopoietic recovery by indomethacin after sublethal whole-body gamma irradiation.

The effect of the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin, a potent prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, on the recovery of hemopoiesis was investigated in sublethally gamma irradiated mice. Treatment with indomethacin after irradiation was found to increase the granulocyte and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood. Furthermore, an increased rate of the restitution of bone marrow cellularity and of the spleen weight was observed. Using the method of 125iodo-deoxyuridine uptake in the spleen, the ability of indomethacin to potentiate cell proliferation was demonstrated.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Inhibitory effect on lymphocyte transformation of anti-HL-A sera].

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Antibody Specificity↗