[Effects of aloe gel on doxorubicin-induced extravasation injury in rats].
OBJECTIVE
Aloe has preventive effects on some chemotherapy-induced extravasation injuries. This study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of aloe gel on doxorubicin-induced extravasation injury.


METHODS
Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish the extravasation injury model induced by doxorubicin. Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, aloe gel group (1 g/L) and 50% magnesium sulfate group. The area of extravasation was measured and the degree of injury was observed. The injured tissues were resected from two randomly selected rats in each group on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 11th, and 18th day after treatments. Pathological morphology of the resected tissues was observed under an optical microscope after hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The exosmosis skin and subcutaneous tissues of rats were resected five days after treatments. Then the wounds were interruptedly sutured. When sutures were removed on the 7th day after operation, the condition of primary wound healing and the healing time were recorded. Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the exosmosis skin and subcutaneous tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The area and the degree of extravasation injury were smaller and less severe in the aloe gel and magnesium sulfate groups than in the control group (P<0.01). The rates of primary wound healing were significantly higher in the aloe gel (60.0%) and magnesium sulfate (66.7%) groups than in the control group (20.0%); while the healing time was significantly shorter in the aloe gel (9.6+/-1.64 d) and magnesium sulfate (9.33+/-1.40 d) groups than in the control group (12.13+/-2.06 d) (both P<0.01). Moreover, the expression levels of VEGF and EGFR were higher in the aloe gel group than in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The preventive and therapeutic effects of aloe gel on doxorubicin-induced extravasation injury are satisfactory, which may be in relation to the up-regulation of VEGF and EGFR.
Liu
Xue-Hua
XH
Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, PR China.
Xia
Hong
H
Zhou
Xiu-Tian
XT
Luo
Wen
W
Zhou
Jian-Guo
JG
Dong
Lin
L
D000504:Aloe / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D005119:Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005782:Gels; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005782:Gels; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C467498:vascular endothelial growth factor A, rat; D004317:Doxorubicin; C483803:Egfr protein, rat; D066246:ErbB Receptors