title: Prophylactic feeding with immune-enhanced diet ameliorates chemoradiation-induced gastrointestinal injury in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effect of immune-enhanced diet (IED) on chemoradiation-induced injury of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (C, n=6), irradiation (IR, n=14), fluoropyrimidine (5-FU, n=14)-treated, IR + 5-FU (n=14)-treated groups. Half of each irradiated and/or 5-FU-treated groups were previously fed with IED containing arginine, omega-3-fatty acids and RNA fragments, while the other half were fed a standard rat diet (SD) for eight days before the induction of IR or injection of 5-FU. In IR groups, whole abdominal irradiation (11 Gy) was performed with 6 MV photons. In the 5-FU groups, fluoropyrimidine (100 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 30 min prior to irradiation. All animals were sacrificed on the 4th day of IR or 5-FU injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bacterial colony counts in the ceca and mesenteric lymph nodes of IED-fed rats, which have received either 5-FU and/or irradiation were significantly lower than the corresponding SD-fed groups. Morphometric results revealed that gastric, ileal and colonic injuries were less in IED-treated IR or IR + 5-FU + IED groups, as compared to SD-fed groups. However, IED did not alter DNA fragmentation ratios.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prophylactic feeding of IED has a protective effect on chemoradiation-induced gastrointestinal injury, which appears to involve the eradication of bacterial overgrowth.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul. bmatasoy@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Beste M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Atasoy
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deniz
authors.forename: Faysal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dane
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Özen
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Feriha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: Nilgün
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Çerikçioğlu
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aral
authors.forename: Züleyha
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Akgün
authors.forename: Ufuk
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Abacioğlu
authors.forename: Berrak Ç
authors.initials: BÇ
authors.lastname: Yeğen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000528:radiation effects; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000293:injuries / Q000382:microbiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000293:injuries* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000293:injuries / Q000382:microbiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats