ABSTRACT
Statement of the Problem: Oral mucositis [OM] is a common side effect of anticancer drugs and needs significant attention for its prevention
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the healing effects of olive leaf extract on 5-fluorouracil-induced OM in golden hamster
Materials and Method: OM was induced in 63 male golden hamsters by the combination of 5-fluorouracil injections [days 0, 5 and 10] and the abrasion of the cheek pouch [days 3 and 4]. On day 12, hamsters were received topical olive leaf extract ointment, base of ointment, or no treatment [control] for 5 days. Histopathology evaluations, blood examinations, and tissue malondialdehyde level measurement were performed 1, 3 and 5 days after treatments
Results: Histopathology score and tissue malondialdehyde level were significantly lower in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups [p= 0.000]. Significant decreases in white blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume and an increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were observed in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups [p< 0.05]
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that daily application of olive leaf extract ointment had healing effect on 5-fluorouracil induced OM in hamsters. Moreover, the beneficial effect of olive leaf extract on OM might be due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties