Acai (Euterpe oleracea Martius) Promotes Jejunal Tissue Regeneration by Enhancing Antioxidant Response in 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Mucositis.

Intestinal mucositis (IM) caused by antineoplastic chemotherapy is characterized by an important inflammatory process, which may compromise ongoing treatment. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of Acai (Euterpe oleracea Martius) on the antioxidant response in BALB/c mice pretreated with Acai pulp (200 g/kg) for 14 day. A group of animals receiving a single intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (200 mg/kg) were euthanized on day three (D3) or seven (D7) after administration, the distal jejunum was isolated for the analyses of histology, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, and concentration of total sulfhydryl groups (GSH). Seven days after induction, the intake of Acai by the IM group almost completely regenerated tissue histology. Notably, SOD activity decreased in the MUC + Acai group (D3). CAT activity reduced on D3 and D7 in the IM groups and Acai treatment groups, respectively. No change was observed in the total GSH concentration at the tissue level. Our results demonstrated the protective effect of Acai pulp components on intestinal damage induced by 5-FU, as well as the ability to control the response to oxidative stress, in order to mobilize defense pathways and promote tissue repair.