Journal of Functional Foods (Jan 2013)

β-Glucan administration to diabetic rats reestablishes redox balance and stimulates cellular pro-survival mechanisms

  • Mihailović Mirjana,
  • Arambašić Jelena,
  • Uskoković Aleksandra,
  • Dinić Svetlana,
  • Grdović Nevena,
  • Marković Jelena,
  • Mujić Ibrahim,
  • Šijački D. Ana,
  • Poznanović Goran,
  • Vidaković Melita

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
pp. 267 – 278

Abstract

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The mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect observed in diabetic rats after treatment with a commercially available β-glucan-enriched extract (BGEE) were examined. Multiple low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) diabetes was used (40 mg STZ/kg) as a model for type 1 diabetes. BGEE was administered daily (80 mg/kg) for 4 weeks, starting from the last day of the STZ treatment. In vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that significant free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of BGEE were responsible for a systemic adjustment of the redox disturbance and reduction of DNA damage in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats. BGEE-treated diabetic rats also displayed increased Akt kinase activity and decreased pro-caspase-3 degradation, implying that BGEE mediates its beneficial effects through activation of the cellular pro-survival pathway. We conclude that β-glucan administration under diabetic conditions promotes a systemic improvement that can be expected to increase the organism’s resistance to the onset of diabetic complications.

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