No abstract

Ample evidence suggests that cancer is triggered by mutagenic damage and diets or supplements capable of reducing such incidences can be related to the prevention of neoplasy development or to an improvement in life quality of patients who undergo chemotherapy. This research aimed to evaluate the antimutagenic and antigenotoxic activity of β-glucan. We set up 8 experimental groups: control (Group 1), cyclophosphamide (Group 2), Groups 3–5 to assess the effect of β-glucan administration, and Groups 6–8 to evaluate the association between cyclophosphamide and β-glucan. The intraperitonial concentrations of β-glucan used were 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg. Micronucleus and comet assays showed that within the first week of treatment β-glucan presented a damage reduction rate between 100–62.04% and 94.34–59.52% for mutagenic and genotoxic damages, respectively. This activity decreased as the treatment was extended. During the sixth week of treatment antimutagenicity rates were reduced to 59.51–39.83% and antigenotoxicity was not effective. This leads to the conclusion that the efficacy of β-glucan in preventing DNA damage is limited when treatment is extended, and that its use as a chemotherapeutic adjuvant need to be better clarified.

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.

No abstract

Cyclophosphamide is an anti-neoplastic chemotherapy drug which, when administered to animals during the gestational period, provokes visceral, skeletal and external malformations. Copaiba oil obtained from Copaifera L. genus is traditionally used in popular medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. However, the effect of copaiba oil onteratogenesis remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the possible protector effects of copaiba oil on the model of teratogenesis induced by cyclophosphamide in mice. Pregnant female Swiss mice were divided into 8 groups (n = 15). Three groups received copaiba oil, via gavage, in the following doses: 0.3 mL•Kg −1 , 0.6 mL•Kg −1 and 0.9 mL•Kg −1 (b.w.), associated to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), intraperitoneal (i.p.). The negative control group received medium chain triglyceride (MCT) and PBS. The positive control group received cyclophosphamide (30 mg•Kg −1 (b.w.)) and MCT. The three treatment groups called associated groups (A) received one of the doses of copaiba oil, via gavage and an associated dose of cyclophosphamide intraperitoneally. Copaiba oil presented a protective effect against teratogenesis induced by cyclophosphamide in the following skeletal structures: metacarpals, forepaws proximal phalanges, and tail vertebras. It also reduced the hydrocephalus frequency. These data suggest that copaiba oil could be a potential candidate for an anti-teratogenic agent.

ResumoTrichogaster leeri é considerado um peixe pacífico e muito utilizado em aquarismo pela beleza de suas cores. O presente estudo teve como objetivos avaliar a ocupação da coluna da água por machos adultos quando mantidos com outros machos da mesma espécie. Foram utilizados três aquários com as dimensões de 35 cm de comprimento, 22 cm de altura e 16 cm de largura, com substrato de cascalho e vegetação artificial. O vidro frontal foi dividido em 12 quadrantes, ordenados da esquerda para a direita e de cima para baixo. Três exemplares de aproximadamente 8 cm de comprimento total foram utilizados para observação das freqüências de ocorrência nos quadrantes, nas seguintes situações: isolados, agrupados em duplas e os três juntos. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste χ 2, ao nível de significância de 5%. Foi observado que, quando associados em um mesmo aquário, os indivíduos ocupam uma determinada posição na coluna da água. Isso significa que, apesar do comportamento aparentemente pacífico, os machos se evitam ocupando distintas posições espaciais. Palavras-chave: Aquário. Comportamento. Dominância. Peixe. AbstractTrichogaster leeri is considered a peaceful fish and widely used in aquariums for the beauty of its colors. This study aimed to evaluate the occupation of water column by adult males when kept with other males of the same species. Three 35 cm-long, 22 cm-high and 16 cm-wide aquariums were used, with grave as substrate and artificial vegetation. The front glass was divided in 12 quarters, arranged from left to right and from top to bottom. Three 8 cm-long specimens were used to observe the frequency of occurrence in the quarters in the following situations: isolated, grouped in pairs and all of them together. The data were analyzed by χ² test, at significance level of 5%. It was observed that, when the individuals are together in the same aquarium, they occupy a position in the water column. It means that, in spite of the apparently pacific behavior, the males avoid each other occupying distinct spatial positions.