Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Martius) Promotes Jejunal Tissue Regeneration by Enhancing Antioxidant Response in 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Mucositis

Abstract

Intestinal mucositis (IM) caused by antineoplastic chemotherapy is characterized by an important inflammatory process, which may compromise ongoing treatment. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Martius) on the antioxidant response in BALB/c mice pretreated with Açaí pulp (200 g/kg) for 14 day. A group of animals receiving a single intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (200 mg/kg) were euthanized on day three (D3) or seven (D7) after administration, the distal jejunum was isolated for the analyses of histology, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, and concentration of total sulfhydryl groups (GSH). Seven days after induction, the intake of Açaí by the IM group almost completely regenerated tissue histology. Notably, SOD activity decreased in the MUC + Açaí group (D3). CAT activity reduced on D3 and D7 in the IM groups and Açaí treatment groups, respectively. No change was observed in the total GSH concentration at the tissue level. Our results demonstrated the protective effect of Açaí pulp components on intestinal damage induced by 5-FU, as well as the ability to control the response to oxidative stress, in order to mobilize defense pathways and promote tissue repair.

Acknowledgments

We thank professors Ana Maria Caetano Faria, Daniela Caldeira Costa and Sandra Aparecida Lima de Moura for collaboration with our research.

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Talita Alves Faria Martins Magalhães: substantial contributions to acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.

Melina Oliveira de Souza: drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Sttefany Viana Gomes: substantial contributions to acquisition of data.

Raiana Mendes e Silva: substantial contributions to acquisition of data.

Flaviano dos Santos Martins: substantial contributions to conception and design.

Renata Nascimento de Freitas: substantial contributions to conception and design, and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Joana Ferreira do Amaral: substantial contributions to conception and design, and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work received financial support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brazil), Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (APQ-00593-14, PRONEM 2014 and APQ-03385-17), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil) and Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP, Brazil).