Statement of the Problem: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of anticancer drugs and needs significant attention for its prevention.Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the healing effects of olive leaf extract on 5-fluorouracil-induced OM in golden hamster.Materials and Method: OM was induced in 63 male golden hamsters by the combination of 5-fluorouracil injections (days 0, 5 and 10) and the abrasion of the cheek pouch (days 3 and 4). On day 12, hamsters were received topical olive leaf extract ointment, base of ointment, or no treatment (control) for 5 days. Histopathology evaluations, blood examinations, and tissue malondialdehyde level measurement were performed 1, 3 and 5 days after treatments.Results: Histopathology score and tissue malondialdehyde level were significantly lower in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups (p=0.000). Significant decreases in white blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit , and mean corpuscular volume and an increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were observed in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups (p<0.05).Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that daily application of olive leaf extract ointment had healing effect on 5-fluorouracil induced OM in hamsters. Moreover, the beneficial effect of olive leaf extract on OM might be due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

BACKGROUND: High lipid accumulation in hepatocyte and blood vessels can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and heart diseases, respectively. These disorders are the main reasons of mortality in various countries. In this experiment, we evaluated the effect of leaf extracts of Anethum graveolens (AG), also known as Dill, and AG tablet on expression of lowdensity lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and liver lipid in hypercholesterolemic hamsters. METHODS: In this experimental study, 36 male golden hamsters were divided into 6 groups: 1) standard diet + 0. 5% cholic acid + 2% cholesterol [high cholesterol diet (HCD)], 2) HCD + 100 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extract of Dill, 3) HCD + 200 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extract of Dill, 4) HCD + 100 mg/kg Dill tablet, 5) HCD + 200 mg/kg Dill tablet, 6) chow. At the end of study (30th day), hamsters were anesthetized and blood sample and liver tissue were collected. Biochemical factors and antioxidant parameters were determined. LDLR messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) level was measured using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Histopathological change of liver was determined using light microscope. RESULTS: Compared to HCD group, blood lipids (P < 0. 0010) and liver enzymes (P < 0. 0010) markedly reduced in AG-treated groups. The expression of LDLR did not change significantly in animals which received low dose of hydroalcoholic extract or AG tablet, but it increased in animals receiving high dose of extract or tablet (P < 0. 0100). Liver antioxidant significantly increased by AG (P < 0. 0010). Liver histopathological changes were normalized by AG. CONCLUSION: AG can significantly increase LDLR gene expression in HCD animals. This study showed that both AG extract and AG tablet had potential antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects in hamsters.