Protective Effect of Plumeria Pudica Latex Proteins on Intestinal Mucositis Induced by 5-Fluorouracil

Intestinal mucositis is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the mucosa that affects the gastrointestinal tract and is associated with administering some drugs, such as 5- Fluorouracil (5-FU), conventional chemotherapy used in clinics for cancer therapy. Inside intestinal mucosa, the 5-FU acts, leading to oxidative stress, stimulating the production/release of proinflammatory cytokines, local accumulation of neutrophils and consequent tissue damage. These alterations favor bacterial proliferation, triggering secondary infections, and are responsible for undesired effects such as myelosuppression and diarrhea. These factors negatively impact oncological patients' quality of life and explain why they commonly interrupt their treatment prematurely. Currently, there is no specific drug with the ability to completely avoid this condition, so the search for new molecules with pharmacological properties that can be used for preventing or ameliorating intestinal mucositis is important. Plumeria pudica is a plant that produces latexcontaining molecules with therapeutic potential. A protein fraction obtained from this latex (LPPp), which comprises a well-defined mixture of chitinases, proteinases proteinase inhibitors, was demonstrated to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, preserving tissue glutathione and malondialdehyde concentration, reducing superoxide dismutase and myeloperoxidase activity, and reducing the level of proinflammatory cytokines in different experimental models. Given this scenario, inflammation and oxidative stress are directly involved in the pathogenesis of intestinal mucositis promoted by 5-FU. So, the hypothesis is that LPPp could inhibit these factors to attenuate the cytotoxicity of this pathology associated with 5-FU-treatment. This article brings new insights into the potential of the laticifer proteins extracted from the latex of P. pudica and opens new perspectives for the treatment of this type of intestinal mucositis with LPPp.