title: Oral beta-glucan protects kidney against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the leading causes of acute renal failure. Beta-(1-->3)-glucans are glucose polymers with a variety of stimulatory effects on the immune system. We designed this study to determine the possible protective effect of the orally administered soluble beta-glucan against I/R injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 rats were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups (control, sham operated, beta-glucan, I/R and I/R+beta-glucan groups, n = 6 each). Beta-glucan was administered orally to 6 rats of the beta-glucan and I/R+beta-glucan groups. The rats were subjected to bilateral renal ischemia followed by reperfusion in the I/R and I/R+beta-glucan groups. All of the rats were then sacrificed and kidney function tests, serum and tissue oxidants and antioxidants were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum urea and cystatin C levels were significantly higher in the I/R group compared to the I/R+beta-glucan group (p < 0.01). The serum and tissue antioxidant markers (SOD, GSH-Px) were significantly lower in the I/R group than the I/R+beta-glucan group (p < 0.01). The serum oxidant markers (NO and PC) were significantly higher in the I/R group than the I/R+beta-glucan group (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the present data, we conclude that increased antioxidants and decreased oxidants modulated by beta-glucan attenuated the renal I/R injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Fatih University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bayrak
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turgut
authors.forename: Omer Faruk
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Karatas
authors.forename: Ersin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cimentepe
authors.forename: Reyhan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bayrak
authors.forename: Ferhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catal
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Atis
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcay
authors.forename: Dogan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Unal
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins / Q000097:blood; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C525032:Cst3 protein, rat; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins; D047071:beta-Glucans; D014508:Urea; D005978:Glutathione