Carboxymethyl chitin-glucan enriched diet exhibits protective effects against oxidative DNA damage induced in freshly isolated rat cells.

The connection between dietary intake of carboxymethyl chitin-glucan (CM-CG, approximately 200 mg/kg body weight, during 21 days) and the response of freshly isolated rat cells to genotoxic treatment with a combination of photosensitizer Methylene Blue and visible light (MB+VL) was evaluated in presented study. Blood lymphocytes, testicular cells, and hepatocytes were isolated from rats fed by a standard or CM-CG enriched diet and in ex vivo conditions challenged with oxidative agent. Induced DNA damage was assessed using a modified comet assay. When added to the diet, CM-CG itself did not induce any negative effect on the health condition of animals or on level of DNA breaks in rat cells. Moreover, the cells isolated from CM-CG fed animals were more resistant to oxidative stress induced by visible light-excited Methylene Blue. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that carboxymethyl chitin-glucan represents a natural fungal polysaccharide that is able to exert antimutagenic properties upon application in diet.