Topical application of Aloe vera and vitamin E on induced ulcers on the tongue of rats subjected to radiation: clinical and histological evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of two types of antioxidants, vitamin E (VE) and Aloe vera (AV), on healing of induced oral lesions after radiation in a murine model by clinical and histological analysis. METHODS: The animals were randomly divided into three groups of 12 animals each (400 mg VE, 70 % AV and control) and two time periods (5 and 7 days). They were irradiated with a single dose of 30 Gy, and after 24 h, a lesion was produced on the ventral tongue of each animal. The products were applied daily in their respective group until euthanasia. RESULTS: On clinical analysis, there was a higher frequency of lesions in the animals of the control group at both periods. The area of the lesions was also greater in the control group compared with the groups AV and VE (5 days p = 0.006; 7 days p = 0.002). On microscopic analysis, the degree of inflammation differed between the study groups and experimental periods. At 5 days, the statistical difference was not significant among the groups evaluated, but at 7 days, animals in the control group showed intense inflammation, while those in groups VE and AV exhibited mild to moderate inflammation (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that VE and AV contributed to the decrease in inflammatory response and healing of the lesions induced on the tongue of rats subjected to radiation.

Antioxidant agents: a future alternative approach in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced oral mucositis?

Radiotherapy is a therapeutic modality frequently employed for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). It destroys tumor cells, but it is not selective, also affecting healthy tissues and producing adverse effects. One that stands out is oral mucositis because of the morbidity that it is capable of causing. This lesion is characterized by the presence of erythema, ulcerations, pain, opportunistic infections, and weight loss. These side effects can lead to serious situations that require the interruption of the antineoplastic treatment and can result in hospitalization and even death. The complex mechanisms linked to the pathogenesis of oral mucositis were recently established, and since then, the control of oxidative stress (OS) has been tied to the prevention and management of this disease. The authors have carried out a review of the literature about the use of antioxidant agents in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced oral mucositis, using the PubMed database. This review has shown that the research on use of antioxidants (AOX) has proved insufficient to justify suggesting the products in treatment protocols. Results are promising, however, and AOX may represent a future alternative in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis.