title: L-arginine pretreatment reduces intestinal mucositis as induced by 5-FU in mice.
abstract: Beneficial effects of L-arginine on immune responses and bowel function have been reported. Mucositis is a side effect of chemotherapy treatment that affects approximately 40% of patients. This complication is characterized by inflammation that affects the gastrointestinal tract, increasing permeability and causing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which worsen the patient's nutritional status and increases morbimortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pretreating with 2% L-arginine supplementation in water on mucositis as induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; a single dose of 200 mg/kg body weight) in Swiss male mice. The effect of L-arginine on weight, intestinal permeability, morphology, and the histopathological score of the small intestine (from 0 to 12), oxidative stress, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) activities were evaluated. Intestinal length improvement was observed, in addition to the partial recovery of the mucosal architecture. L-arginine attenuated the histopathological score and MPO activity. There was also an improvement in intestinal permeability, despite weight loss after 5-FU administration. In conclusion, L-arginine can positively impact intestinal mucositis by promoting partial mucosal recovery, reducing inflammation and improving intestinal permeability.
authors: a Postgraduate Program in Food Science , Faculty of Pharmacy, UFMG , Belo Horizonte , MG , Brazil.
authors: Paola C L
authors: PC
authors: Leocádio
authors: Maísa M
authors: MM
authors: Antunes
authors: Lílian G
authors: LG
authors: Teixeira
authors: Alda J
authors: AJ
authors: Leonel
authors: Jacqueline I
authors: JI
authors: Alvarez-Leite
authors: Denise C C
authors: DC
authors: Machado
authors: Simone V
authors: SV
authors: Generoso
authors: Valbert N
authors: VN
authors: Cardoso
authors: Maria Isabel T D
authors: MI
authors: Correia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000633:toxicity*; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000633:toxicity*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D052016:Mucositis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D001120:Arginine; D009195:Peroxidase; D005472:Fluorouracil