Oral Lactoferrin Supplementation during Induction Chemotherapy Promotes Gut Microbiome Eubiosis in Pediatric Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.
Federica D'AmicoNunzia DecembrinoEdoardo MuratoreSilvia TurroniPaola MuggeoRosamaria MuraKatia PerruccioVirginia VitaleMarco ZeccaArcangelo PreteFrancesco VenturelliDavide LeardiniPatrizia BrigidiRiccardo MasettiSimone CesaroDaniele ZamaPublished in: Pharmaceutics (2022)
Induction chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies. However, several complications may arise, mainly infections and febrile neutropenia, with a strong impact on patient morbidity and mortality. Such complications have been shown to be closely related to alterations of the gut microbiome (GM), making the design of strategies to foster its eubiosis of utmost clinical importance. Here, we evaluated the impact of oral supplementation of lactoferrin (LF), a glycoprotein endowed with anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial activities, on GM dynamics in pediatric oncohematologic patients during induction chemotherapy. Specifically, we conducted a double blind, placebo-controlled trial in which GM was profiled through 16S rRNA gene sequencing before and after two weeks of oral supplementation with LF or placebo. LF was safely administered with no adverse effects and promoted GM homeostasis by favoring the maintenance of diversity and preventing the bloom of pathobionts (e.g., Enterococcus ). LF could, therefore, be a promising adjunct to current therapeutic strategies in these fragile individuals to reduce the risk of GM-related complications.
Keyphrases
- chemotherapy induced
- locally advanced
- end stage renal disease
- risk factors
- anti inflammatory
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- double blind
- staphylococcus aureus
- randomized controlled trial
- prognostic factors
- case report
- genome wide
- rectal cancer
- cystic fibrosis
- gene expression
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- escherichia coli
- study protocol
- childhood cancer
- biofilm formation
- drug induced
- patient reported outcomes
- gestational age
- placebo controlled
- genome wide identification