Effects of Locally Applied Clove and Green Tea Hydrosols on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Oral Mucositis in Rats

This study investigated the effect of clove and green tea hydrosol applied locally in a rat model of oral mucositis induced with cyclophosphamide.This study is a preclinical, in vivo, experimental, and analytical study. The study was conducted using 40 female Wistar albino rats and were randomly divided into 8 groups. A single high-dose cyclophosphamide injection was administered intraperitoneally for mucositis induction. For mucositis care, the rats received twice daily oral spray clove or green tea hydrosol in the experimental groups. These interventions continued until collection of cardiac blood samples and oral mucosal tissue samples from the right cheek on day 4 or day 8. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were determined from the blood samples, and the tissue samples were analyzed for erosion, fibrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Mean serum TAS was higher and TOS was lower in the clove and green tea hydrosol groups. There was also significantly less erosion in the clove and green tea hydrosol groups than in the positive control groups (P=0.003). On day 8, the clove and green tea hydrosol groups had less fibrosis and showed minimal inflammatory cell infiltration. In rats, clove and green tea hydrosols were found to be effective in preventing erosion associated with cyclophosphamide-induced oral mucositis. It is recommended that studies be conducted to investigate the effect of clove and green tea hydrosols on preventing oral mucositis in patients.