Glucose and the dextran ‘anaphylactoid’ inflammation

¹ Laboratoire de Physiologie, Université de Montréal, and Hôpital Hôtel Dieu de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 120–150 gm in body weight, injected simultaneously with the glucan dextran (1 ml 6% w/v, i.p.) and with an overdose of glucose (3 x 5 ml, 25% w/v, s.c.) which cannot be markedly reduced by excretion in about 24 hours, do not undergo dextran ‘anaphylactoid’ inflammation. If the amount of glucose is smaller (2 x 5 ml, 25% w/v, s.c.) and can be reduced by excretion within about 10 hours, the inflammation occurs, but is greatly delayed in time and diminished in intensity. The specific inhibitory action glucose exerts on the biological activity of the glucan dextran is discussed.