A soy‐derived antiapoptotic fraction decreases methotrexate toxicity in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat

Abstract

The ability of a soy‐derived antiapoptotic fraction to inhibit methotrexate‐induced gastrointestinal toxicity was examined. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats treated with methotrexate were fed diets containing casein as a sole protein source or diets supplemented with a protein‐phospholipid fraction isolated from soy flour. This soy fraction has also been shown to inhibit serum deprivation‐induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the mouse embryonic C3H10T1/2 cell. Rats that received high doses of the soy‐derived antiapoptotic fraction‐supplemented diets experienced significantly less weight loss and diarrhea and better maintained their pretreatment appetite.