Pharmaceutica Analytica Acta

Abstract

Olive Leaf Extract as a New Topical Management for Oral Mucositis Following Chemotherapy: A Microbiological Examination, Experimental Animal Study and Clinical Trial

Khadija Muhamed Ahmed, Nazar Talabani and Tagreed Altaei

Oral mucositis is a common complication of intensive cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Olive leaf extract was investigated through microbiological, experimental animal studies and clinical trial. The results were compared with the action of benzydamine HCl as positive control and normal saline as negative control.
Thirty patients under intensive chemotherapeutic treatment were included in the microbiological part of the study for assessment of the oral flora changes, and the antimicrobial activity of olive leaf and benzydamine HCl against preisolated microoganisms were studied. Oral mucositis was induced through a combination of systemic administration of 5-fluorouracil as chemotherapeutic agent and mild abrasion of the left buccal mucosa of Forty-five male albino rats. An evaluation of the healed buccal mucosa was performed histologically under light microscope at days 7, 9 and 14 of the experiments. In the clinical part of the study, 62 cancer patients receiving intensive chemotherapy were randomized to receive olive leaf extract, benzydamine HCl or placebo local treatment for two weeks in a three period crossover design. WHO toxicity grading and OMAS mucositis score were applied at days 1, 8 and 15 of each cycle.
In Conclusion; olive leaf extract was effective in reducing the incidence and decreasing the severity of oral mucositis when compared to benzydamine HCl and placebo groups. Accordingly we suggest using this medication for oral mucositis as a safe (herbal) and effective treatment modality