A soy-derived antiapoptotic fraction decreases methotrexate toxicity in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat.

The ability of a soy-derived antiapoptotic fraction to inhibit methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal toxicity was examined. Male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with methotrexate were fed diets containing casein as a sole protein source or diets supplemented with a protein-phospholipid fraction isolated from soy flour. This soy fraction has also been shown to inhibit serum deprivation-induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the mouse embryonic C3H10T1/2 cell. Rats that received high doses of the soy-derived antiapoptotic fraction-supplemented diets experienced significantly less weight loss and diarrhea and better maintained their pretreatment appetite.