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

Prophylactic antibiotics and growth promoters have been substituted, mainly for livestock, by immunomodulators and intestinal health promoters - such as ß-D-glucans and glutamine. The aim of this study was to verify the beneficial effects of ß-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 ß-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 ß-D-glucan protected the leukocytes against DNA fragmentation induced by Ara-C. Glutamine alone promoted maintenance of the mitotic index and, in association with ß-Dglucan, reduced leukopenia. Thus, the use of ß-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 ß-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.

Influence of coffee brew in metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of coffee drinking on clinical markers of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Zucker rats. Diabetic Zucker rats with metabolic syndrome and control Zucker rats were used for in vivo tests. The animals received daily doses of coffee drink by gavage for 30 days. After the treatment, the levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and fractions, creatinine, uric acid, activity of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were evaluated. Urea and creatinine levels were also analyzed in urine. By collaborating in the modulation of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus type 2, coffee drink helped in reducing serum glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides. The results demonstrate that treatment with roasted coffee drink, because of its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect, is efficient in the protection of animals with metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus type 2.