Preventive strategy for Candida gut translocation during ischemia-reperfusion injury supervening on protein-calorie malnutrition.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that protein-calorie malnutrition aggravates the gut translocation of Candida albicans triggered by mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in an experimental model while testing a natural product containing the antifungal anethole/polygodial mixture (Kolorex).


METHODS
MFI strain white mice (n = 90) were randomly allocated to a 4-week dietary regimen: (1) standard pellet diet containing 25% casein; (2) low-protein (2.5%) casein diet; (3) as group 2 plus oral supplementation with 20 microL of a 5% solution of Kolorex during the last 4 days. Twenty rats from each of these groups (termed 1a, 2a and 3a) were orally inoculated with Candida suspension 6 h prior to mesenteric IR injury. Animals of each group but without Candida inoculation (termed 1b, 2b and 3b) served as control. A colon permeability study was carried out as well. Rats were killed prior to the IR injury and 3 h afterwards. Control rats were killed at the same time.


RESULTS
Over 60% of the mesenteric lymph nodes and 30% of kidney samples were positive for C. albicans in the low-protein-fed rats after IR injury. Kolorex significantly decreased that rate of positivity and also significantly reduced the concentration of C. albicans per gram of each positive tissue sample examined. Protein-calorie malnourished animals showed a statistically significant increase in colon permeability and this phenomenon further increased after IR injury. The groups of rats treated with Kolorex compound showed a partial, although significant, improvement of this parameter.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that Kolorex might exert a competitive effect against with C. albicans colonization. The present study represents the first experimental in vivo investigation of the anethole/polygodial-containing compound under the specific conditions of calorie-protein malnutrition and the results have potential clinical interest.
Marotta
F
F
WHO-Collaborative Center for Traditional Medicine, S Giuseppe Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. fmarchimede@libero.it
Barreto
R
R
Kawakita
S
S
Minelli
E
E
Pavasuthipaisit
K
K
Lorenzetti
A
A
Nishiwaki
M
M
Gelosa
F
F
Fesce
E
E
Okura
R
R
D000081248:Allylbenzene Derivatives; D000818:Animals; D000840:Anisoles / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000502:physiology; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008643:Mesentery / Q000382:microbiology; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000150:complications*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000081248:Allylbenzene Derivatives; D000840:Anisoles; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C034380:polygodial; C006578:anethole