title: The herbal extract, Iberogast, improves jejunal integrity in rats with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced mucositis.
abstract: There is an acute need for the development of effective therapies for mucositis, a debilitating side effect of cancer chemotherapy. Iberogast is a herbal extract reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated Iberogast for its potential to reduce the severity of 5-Fluorouracil (FU)-induced mucositis in rats. Rats were allocated to three treatment groups (n = 8) and gavaged daily with a 10% solution of Iberogast or water from day 0 to day 8. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with 5-FU (150 mg/kg) or saline on day 6, and killed after 72 h. In vivo and in vitro sucrase activity was assessed by (13)C-sucrose breath test (SBT) and sucrase assay respectively. Intestinal disease severity was determined by histological assessment of villus height and crypt depth. Significant increases in villus height (277 +/- 9 microm) and crypt depth (67 +/- 3 microm) were observed in 5-FU + Iberogast-treated rats compared with 5-FU + Water (224 +/- 13 microm and 48 +/- 2 microm respectively; p < 0.05). Sucrase activity was significantly reduced in all 5-FU groups compared to control. Significant reductions in SBT and sucrase activity were observed in all 5-FU groups compared with Saline + Water controls (p < 0.05). We conclude that although Iberogast partially improved the histopathological features of 5-FU induced mucositis, it conferred no significant protection as indicated by the assessed endpoints.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Gastroenterology, Children, Youth and Women's Health Service, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Tessa H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yazbeck
authors.forename: Kerry A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lymn
authors.forename: Eleanor J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Whitford
authors.forename: Ker Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.forename: Ross N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feinle-Bisset
authors.forename: Amelia N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Pilichiewicz
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mashtoub
authors.forename: Gordon S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Howarth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000009:adverse effects; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D052016:Mucositis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013393:Sucrase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D010936:Plant Extracts; C039964:iberogast; D009195:Peroxidase; D013393:Sucrase; D005472:Fluorouracil