The Animal Biology

Bìol. Tvarin. 2020; 22(1): 15–19.
https://doi.org/10.15407/animbiol22.01.015
Received 02.12.2019 ▪ Accepted 11.03.2020 ▪ Published online 01.05.2020

Immunostimulatory effect of beta-glucan at drug-induced immunosuppression in guinea pigs

Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies named after Stepan Gzhytsky,
50 Pekarska str., Lviv, 79010, Ukraine

The peculiarity of beta-glucan action is the effect on all leukocyte populations, which is accompanied by the activation of phagocytic function. Corticosteroid hormones have an immunosuppressive effect. Immunosuppression modeling allowed us to evaluate changes in blood under the influence of dexamethasone, which is the active substance of Dexafort and beta-glucan as an immunostimulant. Hematologic studies to determine the immunostimulatory action of beta-glucan on the background of drug immunosuppression with Dexafort were conducted to determine the immune reactivity of the organism (Cavia porcellus). In vivarium conditions, 20 healthy guinea pigs (one control and three experimental groups) were tested: group I — immunosuppression without immunostimulant; group II — immunosuppression with immunostimulant; group III — immunosuppression with immunostimulant) of 5 individuals in each group. Immunosuppression was performed on animals I and III of the experimental groups twice every 7 days: subcutaneously administered Dexafort on the basis of long-acting dexamethasone manufactured by Intervet Schering-Plow Animal Health (Netherlands). Beta-glucan at a dose of 30 mg per kg of mass was used as an immunostimulator. The drug was administered by drinking once a day for 14 days to animals of the II and III experimental groups after the second administration of Dexafort. Due to the action of Dexafort in the blood of the animals tested decreased the number of leukocytes, in particular lymphocytes, which reflects the immunosuppressive state of the body. Beta-glucan feeding to animals resulted in an increase in their blood leukocyte count, including lymphocytes and platelets.

Key words: guinea pigs, beta-glucan, dexafort, immunity, blood, leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, microsporia

1. Besednova NN, Yvanushko LA, Zviahyntseva TN. Immunotropic properties of 1,3/1,6-β-D-glucans. Antibiotics and chemotherapy. 2000; 2: 37–44. (in Russian)
2. Bohn JA, BeMiller JN. (1→3)-β-D-Glucans as biological response modifiers: a review of structure-functional activity relationships. Carbohydrate Polymers. 1995; 28(1): 3–14. DOI: 10.1016/0144-8617(95)00076-3.
3. Brown GD, Gordon S. Immune recognition. A new receptor for beta-glucans. Nature. 2001; 413: 36–37. DOI: 10.1038/35092620.
4. Brown GD, Taylor PR, Reid DM, Willment JA, Williams DL, Martinez-Pomares L, Wong SYC, Gordon S. Dectin-1 is a major β-glucan receptor on macrophages. J. Exp. Med. 2002; 196(3): 407–412. DOI: 10.1084/jem.20020470.
5. Karput YM. Hematological atlas of farm animals. Minsk, Uradzhai. 1986: 183 p. (in Russian)
6. Kazmirchuk VI, Kovalchuk LV. Clinical immunology and allergology. Vinnytsia, Nova knyha. 2006: 526 p. (in Russian)
7. Kondrakhin YP, Levchenko VY. Methods of Veterinary Clinical Laboratory Diagnosis: a handbook. A.V. Arkhypov, ed. prof. Y. P. Kondrakhin. Moscow, Kolos. 2004: 520 p. (in Russian)
8. Kotiuzhynska S, Gozhenko A, Umanskyi D. Morphofunctional state of mast cells in hyperheparinemia in rats. Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal. 2017; 63(2): 34–39. DOI: 10.15407/fz63.02.034. (in Ukrainian)
9. Lukjanchuk VD, Mishhenko EM, Babenko MN. Beta-glucans as the basis for the creation of immunomodulatory agents. Ukrainian medical chronicle. 2011; 5(85): IX–X. (in Russian)
10. Official Journal of the European Union L276/33. Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. 86/609/EC. 20.10.2010.
11. Okazaki M, Adachi Y, Ohno N, Yadomae T. Structure-activity relationship of(1→3)-β-D-glucans in the induction of cytokine production from macrophages, in vitro. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 1995; 18(10): 1320–1327. DOI: 10.1248/bpb.18.1320.
12. Ramsey I. Small animal formulary. BSAVA. 6^th ed. Reprinted with corrections. 2007: 415 p.
13. Sandula J, Machová E, Hřibalová V. Mitogenic activity of particulate yeast β-(1→3)-D-glucan and its water-soluble derivatives. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 1995; 17(6): 323–326. DOI: 10.1016/0141-8130(96)81839-3.
14. Seijelid R, Bögwald J, Lundwall Å. Glycan stimulation of macrophages in vitro. Exp. Cell. Res. 1981; 131(1): 121–129. DOI: 10.1016/0014-4827(81)90413-4.
15. Sugiyama A, Hata S, Suzuki K, Yoshida E, Nakano R, Mitra S, Arashida R, Asayama Y, Yabuta Y, Takeuchi T. Oral administration of paramylon, a β-1,3-D-glucan isolated from Euglena gracilis Z inhibits development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 2010; 72(6): 755–763. DOI: 10.1292/jvms.09-0526.
16. Thornton BP, Větvicka V, Pitman M, Goldman RC, Ross GD. Analysis of the sugar specificity and molecular location of the beta-glucan-binding lectin site of complement receptor type 3(CD11b/CD18). J. Immunol. 1996; 156(3): 1235–1246.
17. Vlizlo VV, Slivinska LG, Maksymovych IA, Leno MI, Galyas VL. Laboratory diagnostics in veterinary medicine. Reference Book Directory, 2^nd ed. Lviv, 2014: 152 p. (in Ukrainian)
18. Woo YI, Park BJ, Kim HL, Lee M H, Kim J, Yang YI, Kim JK, Tsubaki K, Han DW, Park JC. The biological activities of (1,3)-(1,6)-β-D-glucan and porous electrospun PLGA membranes containing β-glucan in human dermal fibroblasts and adipose tissue-derived stem cells. Biomed. Mater. 2010; 5(4): 104–109. DOI: 10.1088/1748-6041/5/4/044109.