A glyconutritional mixture (Ambrotose (R)) provides some amelioration to mice with coxsackievirus-induced pancreatitis

Challenge of adolescent male CD-1 mice with a coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) stra in (CVB3(m)) induces mild to severe destruction of pancreatic acinar cells, but causes no deaths and does not induce hyperglycemia, A weekly parentera l (intraperitoneal) administration of a glyconutritional mixture (Ambrotose (R)) to virus-challenged mice was assessed to determine if there were any b enefits to recovery over an eight month period. Virus-challenged mice showe d a significant weight loss over the initial five weeks of the experiment, but injection of Ambrotose(R) to similar virus-challenged mice restored the total body weight to levels found in normal mice. Normal mice given Ambrot ose(R) exhibited a small weight gain. Mice given Ambrotose(R) showed reduce d severity of pancreatitis, as evidenced by significant reductions in perce ntages of pancreatic acinar cells destroyed and proportion of sections of p ancreata with destroyed acinar cells, compared to virus control-mice not in jected with Ambrotose(R). Statistical analyses of the extent of acinar cell pathology in all virus-challenged mice showed that Ambrotose(R) contribute d significantly to recovery of the acinar cell population in virus-inoculat ed mice. Anti-viral antibody titers were not affected by Ambrotose(R) injec tions. One potential mechanism to explain the benefits derived from Ambroto se(R) injections came from studies of antioxidant levels of glutathione in splenic macrophages/monocytes. Whereas CVB3 challenge of mice reduced gluta thione levels in the latter cells, Ambrotose(R) injections to virus-challen ged mice restored glutathione levels to those found in normal mice. In summ ary, most but not all mice derived benefits from Ambrotose(R) injections, i .e. a reduction in pathology in the pancreas and restored levels of the ant ioxidant glutathione in macrophages/monocytes. Higher doses of Ambrotose" c ould provide greater benefits for more mice, a study for the future.