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Review
. 2022 Apr 15;23(8):4385.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23084385.

Natural Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis-A Review

Ana Sofia Ferreira  1 , Catarina Macedo  1 , Ana Margarida Silva  1 , Cristina Delerue-Matos  1 , Paulo Costa  2   3 , Francisca Rodrigues  1
Affiliations
Review

Natural Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis-A Review

Ana Sofia Ferreira et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Cancer, a major world public health problem, is associated with chemotherapy treatments whose administration leads to secondary concerns, such as oral mucositis (OM). The OM disorder is characterized by the presence of ulcers in the oral mucosa that cause pain, bleeding, and difficulty in ingesting fluids and solids, or speaking. Bioactive compounds from natural sources have arisen as an effective approach for OM. This review aims to summarize the new potential application of different natural products in the prevention and treatment of OM in comparison to conventional ones, also providing a deep insight into the most recent clinical studies. Natural products, such as Aloe vera, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Camellia sinensis, Calendula officinalis, or honeybee crops, constitute examples of sources of bioactive compounds with pharmacological interest due to their well-reported activities (e.g., antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, or wound healing). These activities are associated with the bioactive compounds present in their matrix (such as flavonoids), which are associated with in vivo biological activities and minimal or absent toxicity. Finally, encapsulation has arisen as a future opportunity to preserve the chemical stability and the drug bioa vailability of bioactive compounds and, most importantly, to improve the buccal retention period and the therapeutic effects.

Keywords: cancer; drug delivery; natural products; oral mucositis; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram representing the mucosal cells and clinical manifestations of oral mucositis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SWOT analysis for the possible use of natural products to prevent/treat OM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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