Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of hydroethanolic extract of Spondias mombin leaf in an oral mucositis experimental model
5-fluorouracil. Oral mucositis. Spondias mombin. Oxidative stress. Inflammation.
Oral mucositis (MO) is characterized as an inflammatory condition for clinically presenting erythematous and ulcerated areas. It is the most common oral complication in patients undergoing chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy, and its treatment aims to relieve painful symptoms and induce the injury repair process. Spondias mombin is a plant widely used in northeastern Brazil and its leaves are used in folk medicine to treat inflammation in the mouth and throat. Aim: To evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of the hydroethanolic extract of the leaf of Spondias mombin (HESM) in an experimental model of oral mucositis. Methods: A pre-clinical, in vivo, blind, randomized and controlled trial was performed. The sample consisted of 42 male hamsters, divided into 6 groups: Saline (S), Mechanical trauma (TM), 5 fluorouracil / Mechanical trauma (5-FU / TM) and experimental HESM doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg / kg, for ten days. The animals were submitted to biochemical analyzes and the samples of pouches of the cheek mucosa were subjected to macroscopic, histopathological and immunohistochemical analyzes, with Cox-2, iNOS, NF-kB p50 NLS and MMP-2 markers. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were analyzed by ELISA immunoreaction and the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were submitted to spectroscopic analysis. Results: The HESM-treated group at a dose of 200 mg / kg showed the best healing effect, showing no evidence of ulceration in macroscopic analysis (p <0.05). Histopathological analysis of this group showed reepithelialization, a mild mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate and absence of a bleeding and edema score of 1 (1-1) (p <0.05), in addition to a large amount of collagen fibers. Reduced immunoexpression of Cox-2, iNOS, NF-kB p50 NLS and MMP-2; decreased levels of SOD (p <0.05), MDA (p <0.001), IL-1β (p <0.05) and TNF-α (p <0.001); and an increase in GSH levels (p <0.01) were also observed in this same group. Conclusion: HESM (200 mg / kg) reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in oral mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil in hamsters.