Avaliação do efeito enteroprotetor de Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus L156.4 em modelo de mucosite intestinal induzida por 5-fluorouracil

Abstract

Mucositis is an ulcerative inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract during cancer treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), directly impacting patients' quality of life and the efficacy of cancer therapy. Probiotic strains may be an effective therapeutic strategy to mitigate the severe intestinal damage caused by 5-FU chemotherapy. However, since the effects of probiotics depend on the specific species and strain, it is important to evaluate new probiotics concerning their anti-inflammatory properties and other host health benefits. In this context, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus strain L156.4, isolated from NIH mice, was investigated for its therapeutic potential. in vitro studies demonstrated that this strain exhibits antagonistic action against pathogenic bacteria and inhibits the growth of filamentous fungi. Based on these promising results, the present study sought to evaluate the in vivo enteroprotective effect of oral administration of this bacterial strain in a murine model of intestinal mucositis induced by 5-FU (300mg/Kg). L. rhamnosus strain L156.4 was administered to the animals by gavage at 109 CFU/mL concentration. The results obtained revealed that the treatment with L. rhamnosus L156.4 was able to prevent the presence of inflammatory infiltrate in the gastrointestinal tract of the animals and improve the histopathological score as well as the architecture of the intestinal mucosa of the animals when compared to the control group with 5-FU-induced mucositis. However, it was observed that this strain was not effective in preventing intestinal shortening, attenuating weight loss, or decreasing intestinal permeability in the inflamed animals. In conclusion, oral administration of L. rhamnosus L156.4 demonstrated beneficial effects by improving some parameters related to 5-FU-induced experimental intestinal mucositis. Although it could not completely prevent all adverse effects of chemotherapy, these results suggest that this bacterial strain L. rhamnosus L156.4 has potential as a complementary therapeutic strategy in the managing intestinal mucositis. Further studies are needed to deepen the knowledge about its mechanisms of action and to determine the best way to clinically utilize this probiotic strain.