Protective effect of polysaccharides isolated from the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. on 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis in mice

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the protective effect of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. polysaccharides (PCCL) on 5-fluorouracil-(5-FU)-induced intestinal mucositis (IM) in mice. Methods: PCCL was orally administered at a dose of 20 mg·kg –1 for 7 days and its protective effect on 5-FU-induced IM (5-FU, 50 mg·kg –1 for 5 days) was evaluated by monitoring changes in body weight, degree of diarrhea, levels of tissue inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and interleukin 1β levels), apoptosis rates, and the expression levels of caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2. Results: The severity of mucosal injury (as reflected by body weight changes, degree of diarrhea, height of villi, and damage to crypts) was significantly attenuated by PCCL administration. PCCL also reduced the levels of tissue inflammatory factors, the apoptosis rate, and the expression of caspase-3 and Bax, and increased Bcl-2 expression. Conclusions: PCCL administration may be significantly protective against 5-FU-induced IM by inhibiting apoptosis and regulating the abnormal inflammation associated with it.

Intestinal Mucositis Induced by 5- Fluorouracil and the Possible Protective Effect of Probiotics Containing Lactobacillus in Adult Male Albino Rats: Histological and Immunohistochemical Study

“…In the present study, the administration of 5-FU led to increase expression of caspase-3 in intestinal villi, this finding was similar to those of Ji et al, [6] and De Barros et al, [49] .This was abolished by daily administration of probiotic plus 5-FU, this was in concurrence with An et al [50] . Other authors found that Probiotic down-regulated the increased expression of cleaved caspase-3 expression via p38-mediated autophagy [51] .…”

“…In this study, intense inflammatory cell infiltration was seen in the lamina propria in rats treated with 5-FU, the same finding as Gawish et al, [15] . Cellular inflammatory infiltration in the lamina propria in 5-FU treated rat is subsequent to increase concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (T-NF α and IL-6,) in the intestinal tissue [6] . Neutrophils are the first cells that arrive at the site of mucositis, and they release myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the first hours after 5-FU administration [23,29] .…”

“…5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is an anticancer therapy, as one of its metabolites is an inhibitor of thymidylate synthase which is critical in DNA replication [6] . The GIT mucosa in addition to having an absorptive role, it acts as a physical and immunological barrier.…”

“…It is metabolized in the liver, generating metabolites which inhibits thymidylate synthase enzyme which is DNA synthesis and cell division (5). The cytotoxic effects of 5-FU in the GIT cells are a severe problem, as they decrease the patient's ability to tolerate treatment with discontinuation of therapy (6).…”

Polysaccharides from Passion Fruit Peels: From an Agroindustrial By-Product to a Viable Option for 5-FU-Induced Intestinal Damage

“…In this sense, polysaccharides derived from natural products are currently in a remarkable scenario due to the diversity of their biological potential [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Moreover, polysaccharides have been shown to improve the barrier function of the intestinal epithelium in various chemical models of intestinal mucosal inflammation [ 41 , 42 ].…”