Maintenance of intestinal epithelium structural integrity and mucosal leukocytes during chemotherapy by oral administration of muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine

• Published in: Cancer biotherapy & radiopharmaceuticals Vol. 11; no. 6; p. 363
• Main Authors: Killion, J J, Bucana, C D, Radinsky, R, Dong, Z, O'Reilly, T, Bilbe, G, Tarcsay, L, Fidler, I J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.1996
• Subjects: Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - administration & dosage; Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - analogs & derivatives; Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - pharmacology; Adjuvants, Immunologic - pharmacology; Administration, Oral; Animals; Cytokines - genetics; Doxorubicin - toxicity; Female; Intestinal Mucosa - drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa - pathology; Leukocytes - drug effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Phosphatidylethanolamines - administration & dosage; Phosphatidylethanolamines - pharmacology; RNA, Messenger - analysis
• ISSN: 1084-9785
• DOI: 10.1089/cbr.1996.11.363

The systemic administration of doxorubicin (DXR) decreases the number of epithelial cells and leukocytes in the small intestine of mice. Oral administration of muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (MTP-PE) prevented both disruption of intestinal architecture, and a decrease in the number of macrophages, and it induced the expression of IL-6, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and TNF-alpha in the intestinal tissue. The data suggest that the oral administration of MTP-PE can prevent chemotherapy-induced toxicity to the intestinal mucosa and hence infections due to translocation of aerobic bacteria from the intestine to the blood.