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Research Paper
VSL#3 Probiotic Treatment Reduces Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhoea and Weight Loss
Joanne M Bowen, Andrea M Stringer, Rachel J Gibson, Ann SJ Yeoh, Sarah Hannam and Dorothy MK Keefe
volume 6 | issue 9
September 2007Pages: 1449 - 1454
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Background: One of the most common toxicities of cancer treatment is diarrhoea. Probiotics have been shown effective at preventing diarrhoea in inflammatory bowel disease and may prove useful in the oncology setting. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the probiotic mixture, VSL#3, for amelioration of chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea (CID). Methods: This experiment was carried out in a clinically relevant model of CID. VSL#3 was administered to female DA rats in one of three schedules. Irinotecan was used to induce mucositis and diarrhoea, with rats monitored for 7 days to record incidence of weight-loss and diarrhoea. At study completion, intestines were collected to investigate histological and proliferative changes, apoptosis levels and mucin composition. Results: VSL#3 reduced weight loss following irinotecan when administered before and after chemotherapy. Moderate and severe diarrhoea was also prevented in these rats. This was associated with a significant increase in crypt proliferation combined with an inhibition of apoptosis in both the small and large intestines. VSL#3 also prevented irinotecan-induced increases in goblet cells within jejunal crypts. Conclusions: VSL#3 is effective at preventing severe diarrhoea following chemotherapy with irinotecan and therefore has potential to be used clinically by cancer patients.
Authors
Joanne M Bowen
Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia; Australia
Andrea M Stringer
Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia; Australia
Rachel J Gibson
Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia; Australia
Ann SJ Yeoh
Royal Adelaide Hospital, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Sarah Hannam
Royal Adelaide Hospital, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Dorothy MK Keefe
Royal Adelaide Hospital, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
We now provide open access to journal articles published online for one year or more. This article may be downloaded at the following link:
Download PDFIf the document does not open, please right-click on the link (control-click on a Macintosh) and select the option to save the file to disk.