Does ß-Glucan can have protective role against oxidative stress in experimental sepsis model in rats?

Background: Very high mortality rate in sepsis may be related to oxidative stress. This study was conducted on the rats to investigate the presence of oxidative stress and also the potential protective effects of the ß-glucan in the intra-abdominal sepsis model formed by cecal ligation-perforation (CLP).

Methods: In this study, 30 Male rats were equally divided into three groups as 'Sham', 'Sepsis' and 'ß-Glucan'. Only laparotomy was performed in the Sham group, and sepsis was induced by CLP in Sepsis and ß-Glucan groups. Following CLP, a single dose of 4 mg ß-glucan/kg was also intraperitoneally administered to the β-Glucan group. Blood and tissue (liver, lung and kidney) samples were taken from Sepsis and ß-Glucan groups after sepsis development determined at the end of the 48th hour, also from the Sham group. The levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) were determined in plasma samples, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured in plasma and tissues.

Results: MPO and AOPP were higher in both the Sepsis and ß-Glucan groups; however, plasma and tissue MDA levels were higher only in the Sepsis group than the Sham group (p<0.05). However, when compared to the Sepsis group, all parameters measured, except kidney MDA, were significantly lower in the ß-Glucan group (p<0.05).

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the AOPP levels in the CLP sepsis model, ROS produced by the reaction of MPO derived from neutrophils may form oxidative damage to the proteins, compared to the lipids, and ß-glucan may be used as an alternative agent for sepsis treatment.