Open Access

An elemental diet protects mouse salivary glands from 5‑fluorouracil‑induced atrophy

  • Authors:
    • Koji Harada
    • Tarannum Ferdous
    • Rieko Fujiwara
    • Kenji Watanabe
    • Yoichi Mizukami
    • Katsuaki Mishima
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: April 14, 2022     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13298
  • Article Number: 178
  • Copyright: © Harada et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

An elemental diet (ED) reduces adverse effects of chemotherapy, including oral mucositis, in patients with cancer. However, the detailed mechanism(s) of the healing effects of an ED remains unclear. In the present study, the protective effects of the ED, Elental®, were examined against 5‑fluorouracil (5‑FU)‑induced oral mucositis and salivary gland atrophy in mice. Mucositis was induced in female ICR mice by injection of 5‑FU. The mice were orally administered Elental® (ED group) or saline (control group). After treatment, the mice body weight, salivary gland weight and the histological changes in the salivary gland granular duct area were monitored. The mice body weight remained stable in the ED group, but was significantly decreased in the control group. Moreover, the salivary gland weight was higher in the ED group compared with the control group. In addition, the salivary gland granular duct area cells were larger in the ED group compared with the control group. Whole transcriptome analysis and network analysis were conducted to understand the mechanisms of action of Elental® against oral mucositis. Whole transcriptome analysis and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis data suggested that Elental® contributed to the recovery of mitochondrial function in 5‑FU‑damaged salivary glands. Immunohistochemical analysis of salivary gland tissue demonstrated that the expression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 and epidermal growth factor were higher in the ED group compared with the control group. Next, the rate of apoptosis in the salivary glands was examined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‑mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays. The number of TUNEL‑positive cells in the salivary glands was lower in the ED group compared with the control group. These findings suggested that Elental® may protect mouse salivary glands from 5‑FU‑induced atrophic changes, which suggests that ED treatment may improve xerostomia and alleviate oral mucositis in patients with cancer receiving 5‑FU‑based chemotherapy.
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June-2022
Volume 23 Issue 6

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Spandidos Publications style
Harada K, Ferdous T, Fujiwara R, Watanabe K, Mizukami Y and Mishima K: An elemental diet protects mouse salivary glands from 5‑fluorouracil‑induced atrophy. Oncol Lett 23: 178, 2022
APA
Harada, K., Ferdous, T., Fujiwara, R., Watanabe, K., Mizukami, Y., & Mishima, K. (2022). An elemental diet protects mouse salivary glands from 5‑fluorouracil‑induced atrophy. Oncology Letters, 23, 178. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13298
MLA
Harada, K., Ferdous, T., Fujiwara, R., Watanabe, K., Mizukami, Y., Mishima, K."An elemental diet protects mouse salivary glands from 5‑fluorouracil‑induced atrophy". Oncology Letters 23.6 (2022): 178.
Chicago
Harada, K., Ferdous, T., Fujiwara, R., Watanabe, K., Mizukami, Y., Mishima, K."An elemental diet protects mouse salivary glands from 5‑fluorouracil‑induced atrophy". Oncology Letters 23, no. 6 (2022): 178. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2022.13298