Ariane Fernanda da Silva

Effects of the polysaccharide β-glucan on clastogenicity and teratogenicity caused by acute exposure to cyclophosphamide in mice.

Alterations that could lead to the cancer development may also be related to an adverse development of offspring in experimental animals. Some functional foods, which contain the polysaccharide beta-glucan, have been described as being effective in the prevention of clastogenic damage. Based on that finding, the aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of this sugar polymer in the mutagenic and teratogenic damage control. Two sets of females, pregnant and non-pregnant, were evaluated. The results indicated that beta-glucan was effective in preventing clastogenic damage in pregnant as well as non-pregnant females. In addition, pregnant females were more susceptible to mutagenic damage. However, teratogenic effects were not prevented effectively, although there was a trend toward a reduction in level of malformations. Despite beta-glucan did not prevent malformations, it increased fetal viability and reduced number of post-implantation losses and resorption, thereby enhancing reproductive performance in females.

Effects of β-glucan polysaccharide revealed by the dominant lethal assay and micronucleus assays, and reproductive performance of male mice exposed to cyclophosphamide.

β-glucan is a well-known polysaccharide for its chemopreventive effect. This study aimed to evaluate the chemopreventive ability of β-glucan in somatic and germ cells through the dominant lethal and micronucleus assays, and its influence on the reproductive performance of male mice exposed to cyclophosphamide. The results indicate that β-glucan is capable of preventing changes in DNA in both germ cells and somatic ones. Changes in germ cells were evaluated by the dominant lethal assay and showed damage reduction percentages of 46.46% and 43.79% for the doses of 100 and 150 mg/kg. For the somatic changes, evaluated by micronucleus assay in peripheral blood cells in the first week of treatment, damage reduction percentages from 80.63–116.32% were found. In the fifth and sixth weeks, the percentage ranged from 10.20–52.54% and −0.95–62.35%, respectively. Besides the chemopreventive efficiency it appears that the β-glucan, when combined with cyclophosphamide, is able to improve the reproductive performance of males verified by the significant reduction in rates of post-implantation losses and reabsorption in the mating of nulliparous females with males treated with cyclophosphamide.

Anticlastogenic Activity of Aqueous Extract of Agaricus blazei in Drug-Metabolizing Cells (HTCs) During Cell Cycle.

ABSTRACT The mushroom Agaricus blazei has been extensively investigated because of evidence of its antimutagenic, antitumor, and anticarcinogenic activities. This study investigated the clastogenic and/or anticlastogenic activity of aqueous extract of Agaricus blazei (10% w/v) in drug-metabolizing rat hepatoma tissue cells (HTCs), with continuous treatment and treatment during different phases of the cell cycle. DNA damage was induced utilizing two direct-acting agents—methyl methane sulfonate and ethyl methane sulfonate—and two indirect-acting agents—2-aminoanthracene and cyclophosphamide. The aqueous extract of A. blazei with either continuous treatment or treatment during different phases of the cell cycle showed clastogenic activity. The results with continuous treatment showed that A. blazei does not protect against DNA damage-inducing agents that are direct acting. Meanwhile, when combined with indirect-acting agents, a protective effect was demonstrated. A protective effect was also found during different phases of the cell cycle when cells were treated with indirect-acting agents. The protective effects against indirect-acting agents (continuous treatment and during the different phases of the cell cycle) suggest that A. blazei may provide some health benefits to the public when used as a functional food.

Chemopreventive activity of phenylalanine against damage mutagenic prompted by the acute administration of cyclophosphamide in pregnant and non-pregnant mice using the micronucleus test

A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar a capacidade quimiopreventiva da fenilalanina. Utilizou-se um lote de femeas prenhes e nao prenhes divididas nos seguintes grupos experimentais: G1, PBS (0,1 mL/kg p.c.); G2, ciclofosfamida (35 mg/kg p.c.-i.p.); G3, fenilalanina (150 mg/kg p.c.-v.o.) e G4, fenilalanina (300 mg/kg p.c.-v.o.) e G5 (150 mg/kg p.c. de fenilalanina e 35 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida); G6, (300 mg/kg p.c. de fenilalanina e 35 mg/kg de ciclofosfamida). As coletas de sangue periferico foram realizadas em T0, antes da administracao de qualquer substância teste e/ou veiculos, e igualmente em T24 e T48, onde as coletas foram realizadas respectivamente 24 e 48 h apos a administracao da ciclofosfamida. Em uma analise geral verificou-se que, para o grupo de femeas nao prenhes, a avaliacao da antimutagenicidade demonstrou porcentagens de reducao de danos de 57,24% e 31,64% para G5 e G6, respectivamente, em T24, e 29,32% e 24,13% para G5 e G6, respectivamente, em T48. Nos animais prenhes a antimutagenicidade de 24 h demonstrou eficiencia quimiopreventiva apenas para a menor dose (G5) e as porcentagens de reducao de danos foram de 43,25% em G5 e 18,47% em G6. No momento T48 as porcentagens de reducao de danos foram de 44,67% e 37,76% para G5 e G6, respectivamente.