Protective effects of sugar cane extract on endotoxic shock in mice

Sugar cane extract (SCE) has been shown to have an immunostimulating effect in chickens. This study evaluated the effect of SCE on Salmonella Abortusequi lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced lethal shock in d‐galactosamine (GalN)‐sensitized mice. Mice were administered intraperitoneally SCE (500 mg/kg) or phosphate buffered saline before or after injection of LPS and GalN. All the mice injected with LPS and GalN (control group) died of histopathologically congestive and hemorrhagic hepatic insufficiency within 24 h, showing significantly increased activities of plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST; 380 IU/mL) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 130 IU/mL). Pretreatment of mice with SCE at 3 h before challenge with LPS and GalN (SCE treated group) resulted in significantly improved survival rates (92.3%) and a decrease in liver injury. These surviving mice in the SCE treated group showed no changes in the mean levels of plasma AST (60 IU/mL) and ALT (18 IU/mL). However, the level of tumor necrosis factor‐α in the SCE treated group was not significantly different when compared with that in the control group challenged with LPS and GalN. These results suggest that SCE has protective effects on LPS‐induced mortality in this mouse model. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.