Methods: Forty-five New Zealand male rabbits were used in this study. The rabbits were divided into three groups as group 1 (control), group 2 (chemotherapy), and group 3 (chemotherapy + beta glucan) with 15 rabbits in each group. The left main bronchus was incised completely and then endto- end anastomosis was performed in all groups. Cisplatin was administered on the preoperative first day and etoposide was administered on the preoperative first, second, and third days in group 2. In group 3, in addition to the same chemotherapy protocol, 10 mg/kg/day beta glucan was administered via enteral route starting from seven days before operation until one day before sacrifications. The rabbits were sacrificed at postoperative third, fifth, and seventh days by groups of five. The bronchial anastomosis lines were removed and tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin.
Results: In pathological analysis, while there were statistically significant differences between group 1 and group 2 and between group 2 and group 3, there was no difference between group 1 and group 3 in terms of bronchial healing.
Conclusion: The use of beta glucan during chemotherapy treatment may improve bronchial healing at postoperative period.