Evaluation of the antiapoptotic effect of matricaria chamomilla through Bcl-2 immune reaction in rat tongue mucositis model

Abstract

Bcl-2 is specifically considered as an important anti-apoptotic protein. The present study was designed for evaluation of the anti-apoptotic activity of Matricaria chamomilla by study the Bcl-2 immune reaction in ventral rat tongue mucositis. Albino rats (Forty in number) were used in this study. They were divided randomly into control and study groups. In order to induce this inflammation in that tissue, 60 mg/kg of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was administered intraperitoneally to each experimental animal in the study group at day 0 while at day two, 40 mg/kg was administered. The control group of experimental animals was injected intraperitoneally by distilled water in the same manner and dose as the study group. Each group was subdivided into: distilled water and chamomile extract treated groups. The distilled water treated experimental animals were gavaged by distilled water, while the others were gavaged by Matricaria chamomilla at a dose of 100mg/kg, two times daily. The treatment with water or Matricaria chamomilla was started at day five. The experimental animals were sacrificed at day eight and 12 (five animals each) and biopsies from the ventral tongue mucosa were taken. At day eight, the study animals that were developed tongue mucositis and were treated with Matricaria chamomilla showed significant increase in the thickness of epithelium with significant decrease in damage score, and significant increase in Bcl-2 immune expression in comparison with the water treated group(p<0.05). At day 12 the result showed that longer duration of taking Matricaria chamomilla extract can cause damaging effect to the ventral tongue mucosa. In conclusion, Matricaria chamomilla can attenuate the injury caused by 5-FU, but long duration intake gave the reverse action.