2023, Volume 16, Issue 5, pp 712 – 718

Mucoprotective effect of ellagic acid in 5 fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis model

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Corresponding Author: Dareen Mahmood AL-hoshary, Ministry of Health, Al Kut Hospital for Gynecology Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Baghdad, Iraq Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq. E-mail: dareen.hasan2100m@copharm.uobaghdad.edu.iq

Abstract

Intestinal mucositis (IM) is a common side effect of several anticancer medications, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and can lead to treatment disruptions and compromised outcomes. IM has severe clinical effects such as diarrhea, erythematous mucosal lesions, and the development of ulcers accompanied by excruciating pain. This study aimed to evaluate the mucoprotective effects of ellagic acid on 5-FU-induced IM in mice. Mice were administered normal saline intraperitoneally for six days, followed by intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU for four days at a dose of 50 mg per kilogram. Ellagic acid was orally administered to the mice in groups III and IV in two doses (5 mg and 10 mg), with a one-hour time separation from 5-FU for ten days. At the end of the experiment, small intestine tissue was collected to measure the levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-B, TNF) using ELISA assay. Pre-treatment with ellagic acid led to a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines and improved antioxidant enzyme levels compared to the 5-FU group. Histopathological analysis demonstrated the mucoprotective effect of ellagic acid against 5-FU-induced intestinal changes, including villi atrophy, damage to stem cells, infiltration of inflammatory cells in the mucosal layer, edema, damage to muscular mucosa, and decreased oxidative stress production, such as MDA. These results suggest that ellagic acid may be a potential candidate for treating IM induced by antineoplastic drugs.

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About this article

PMC ID: 10375349
PubMed ID: 
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0052

Article Publishing Date (print): 5 2023
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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