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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Renal Ischaemia Reperfusion Injury: A Mouse Model of Injury and Regeneration
Published on: June 7, 2014
Oral beta-glucan protects kidney against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats
Omer Bayrak1, Faruk Turgut, Omer Faruk Karatas
1Department of Urology, Fatih University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
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).
Conclusion:
Based on the present data, we conclude that increased antioxidants and decreased oxidants modulated by beta-glucan attenuated the renal I/R injury.
