Methods for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of cardiac tissue damage

A method for treating ischemia/reperfusion injury in a body organ of a mammalian subject having an acute ischemic condition or proximately under a condition associated with an imminent onset of ischemia in the organ, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutic dosage of about 1 mg to 150 mg of a (1-3)-β-D-glucan per kilogram of the subject's body weight, wherein said (1-3)-β-D-glucan is selected from the group consisting of glucan sulphate, glucan phosphate, scleroglucan, or a combination thereof.

A therapeutic method for decreasing ischemia/reperfusion damage in a mammalian subject having an acute ischemic condition caused by a spinal cord injury or proximately under a trauma from a spinal cord injury comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective dosage of (1→3)-β-D-glucan, wherein said (1-3)-β-D-glucan is selected from the group consisting of glucan sulphate, glucan phosphate, scleroglucan, or a combination thereof.

A therapeutic method for reducing ischemic injury to living tissue in a body limb of a mammalian subject proximately under an acute trauma associated with the onset of ischemia comprising systemically administering to a subject a therapeutically effective dosage of (1→3)-β-D-glucan, wherein said (1-3)-β-D-glucan is selected from the group consisting of glucan sulphate, glucan phosphate, scleroglucan, or a combination thereof.