Elental® is an
L-glutamine-rich elemental diet (ED) that has been widely used in Japan as a nutritional supplement for malnourished patients. In addition, Elental® has been successfully used in the management of
chemotherapy-induced
mucositis in
cancer patients. Recently, it was also reported that Elental® can effectively reduce
chemotherapy-induced
oral mucositis in patients with
oral squamous cell carcinoma, and can also reduce
mucositis and
dermatitis in animal models. However, it is unclear whether oral intake or topical application of Elental® can act directly on
chemotherapy-induced
oral mucositis or
dermatitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible direct healing effect of Elental® on
chemotherapy-induced
dermatitis and raw
wound areas in a mouse model.
Dermatitis and raw
wounds were induced in nude mice by administration of
5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (via gastric tube) and mechanical injury (using a
metal brush or a surgical knife). We then compared the outcome following oral or topical application of Elental® in these mice. The effect of Elental® on the growth and migration ability of the human oral keratinocyte cell line, HOK, was also examined using MTT and migration assays, respectively. In the mouse model, both
oral administration and topical application of Elental® reduced 5-FU-induced
dermatitis and healed raw
wound areas more effectively compared with the topical application of saline. The MTT assay revealed that Elental® exerted a growth-promoting effect on HOKs. In addition, Elental® enhanced the ability of HOKs to migrate, as demonstrated by the migration assay. These findings demonstrated that the topical application as well as the oral intake of Elental® exerted a direct healing effect on
chemotherapy-induced
dermatitis or raw
wound areas. The data also indicated that oral intake of an ED may exert a direct healing effect on
chemotherapy-induced
oral mucositis.