Prophylactic feeding with immune-enhanced diet ameliorates chemoradiation-induced gastrointestinal injury in rats.
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.
Atasoy
Beste M
BM
Departments of Radiation Oncology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul. bmatasoy@yahoo.com
Deniz
Mustafa
M
Dane
Faysal
F
Özen
Zeynep
Z
Turan
Pinar
P
Ercan
Feriha
F
Çerikçioğlu
Nilgün
N
Aral
Cenk
C
Akgün
Züleyha
Z
Abacioğlu
Ufuk
U
Yeğen
Berrak Ç
BÇ
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