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Growth hormone and nutrition as protective agents against methotrexate induced enteritis
M Ortega1, I A de Segura, I Vázquez
1Service of Experimental Surgery, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Objective:
To determine whether exogenously administered growth hormone can reduce or prevent chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucosa injury. The expected results will allow to consider its potential clinical use.
Design:
Experimental and randomized study.
Setting:
Experimental Surgery Service, La Paz University Hospital.
Subjects:
Adult Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g.
Materials And Methods:
A chemotherapy protocol with methotrexate (MTX) (120 mg/kg) was employed. Animals fed either with a normoproteic or a hyperproteic liquid diet were treated with either saline or growth hormone (1 mg/kg/day) since three days before until four days after chemotherapy. Animals were sacrificed seven days after MTX administration for tissue sampling.
Results:
Co-administration of growth hormone and a hyperproteic diet increased intestinal crypt proliferation and reduced MTX-induced apoptosis.
Conclusions:
Jejunal mucosal structure (morphometry), proliferation (Ki-67) and apoptosis (TUNNEL) were assessed.