Estudo do papel do óxido nítrico nas mucosites oral e intestinal induzidas por 5-fluorouracil e metotrexato e efeito da glutamina e alanil-glutamina na mucosite oral induzida por 5-fluorouracil

Abstract

Mucositis induced by antineoplastic drugs is an important, dose-limiting and costly side effect of cancer therapy, which pathophysiology is not completely understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) on the pathogenesis of oral and intestinal mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and methotrexate (MTX) and the effect of glutamine (GLU) and alanyl-glutamine (AL-GLU) on 5-FU-induced experimental mucositis. Oral mucosistis was induced by two intraperitoneal (i.p) administrations of 5-FU on the 1st and 2nd days (60 and 40 mg/kg, respectively) in hamsters. Animals were treated subcutaneously (s.c.) with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors N-(3-(Aminomethyl)benzyl)acetamidine (1400W; 1 mg/kg), aminoguanidine (AG; 5 or 10 mg/kg), Nφ-Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME; 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg) or saline (0.4 ml), one hour before the injections of 5-FU and daily until sacrifice, on the 10th day. In another set of experiments, animals received saline, GLU or AL-GLU suspension (100 mM) one hour before the injections of 5-FU and daily until sacrifice, on the 10th or 14th day. Intestinal mucositis was induced by three administrations of MTX (2.5 mg/kg; s.c.) on the first three days of the experiment, in Wistar rats. Animals were treated i.p. with AG (10 mg/Kg), or L-NAME (20 mg/Kg), one hour before the injections of MTX and daily until sacrifice, on the 5th day. In the investigation of the role of NO on 5-FU induced oral mucositis, the following parameters were evaluated: microscopic and macroscopic analysis, myeloperoxidade (MPO) and NOS activities, nitrite level, immunohistochemistry for NOSi, salivary secretion, and cell death. In order to study the effect of GLU and AL-GLU, microscopic and macroscopic analysis, MPO activity, cell death, glutathione stores and the serum concentration of glutamine, were evaluated. In the MTX-induced intestinal mucositis, histopathological analysis was evaluated and the villus height in all three small intestine segments was measured. MPO activity, cell death, as well as, western blot and immunohistochemistry to evaluated the expression of the NOSi, were also conducted. 1400W or AG, but not L-NAME, reduced macroscopic and histological parameters of oral mucositis, and reduced the inflammatory cell infiltration as detected on histopathology and by MPO activity. Increased NOS activity and immunostaining for NOSi were detected. 5-FU induced a decrease in salivary secrection, observed on 4th day, and this effect was prevented by 1400W. The 5-FU-induced oral mucositis significantly decreased the serum GLU level as well as the cheek pouch glutathione stores, observed on day 10. GLU or AL-GLU reversed the 5-FU effects, restoring serum GLU levels and cheek pouch glutathione stores, observed on day 10, but did not prevent oral mucositis at this time. However, GLU and AL-GLU reduced macroscopic and histological parameters of oral mucositis, and reduced the MPO activity on day 14. In the MTX-induced mucositis, AG and L-NAME significantly prevented villous blunting, lamina propria cell death, and reduced crypt necrosis induced by MTX, decreasing neutrophil infiltration as detected by histopathology and by MPO activity. These data were associated with the detection of iNOS expression by Western blot and by immunohistochemistry in the jejunum tissue. These results suggest an important role of NO in the pathogenesis of oral and intestinal mucositis induced by 5-FU and MTX. The present study also demonstrated that GLU or AL-GLU hastens mucosal recovery increasing mucosal tissue glutathione stores, reducing inflammatory parameters and speeding reepithelization.