Protective effect of enriched diet plus growth hormone administration on radiation-induced intestinal injury and on its evolutionary pattern in the rat

• Published in: Digestive diseases and sciences Vol. 44; no. 11; pp. 2350 - 2358
• Main Authors: VAZQUEZ, I, GOMEZ-DE-SEGURA, I. A, GRANDE, A. G, ESCRIBANO, A, GONZALEZ-GANCEDO, P, GOMEZ, A, DIEZ, R, DE MIGUEL, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.11.1999; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial Translocation; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; Diseases of the digestive system; Growth Hormone - therapeutic use; Humans; Intestinal Mucosa - radiation effects; Male; Medical sciences; Radiation Injuries, Experimental - diet therapy; Radiation Injuries, Experimental - drug therapy; Radiation Injuries, Experimental - therapy; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Rats; Rats, Wistar; Nutrition; Rat; Rodentia; Gut; Somatotropin hormone; Inflammation; Supplemented diet; Radiotherapy; Biological activity; Protein; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Cytoprotector; Animal; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease
• ISSN: 0163-2116; 1573-2568
• DOI: 10.1023/a:1026637611298

Adequate nutritional support can enhance the protective action of growth hormone in radiation-induced mucositis. Our aim is to address the evolutionary pattern of radiation injury to the small intestine of rats fed a high-protein diet and treated with growth hormone before irradiation. Male Wistar rats were fed a high-protein diet and killed two, four or seven days after irradiation. Animals were given either growth hormone or saline. The combination of growth hormone and high-protein diet reduced mortality, increased mucosal height and crypt proliferation, and reduced apoptosis from day 2 to day 7 after irradiation. Bacterial translocation was increased in rats fed the high-protein formula. Insulin-like growth factor was reduced by radiation and further reduced by the high-protein diet. The combination of growth hormone and high-protein diet protects from the damage caused by radiation to the bowel and accelerates its recovery. This effect does not seem to be mediated through insulin-like growth factor levels.