Background: Capecitabine is a chemotherapeutic agent widely used for the treatment of malignancies. Ocular disorders have been reported with capecitabine therapy. Hesperidin is a naturally occurring compound derived mainly from citrus fruits and has a wide range of pharmacological activities and a proposed role in combating many ocular diseases.
Aim: To evaluate the potential protective role of hesperidin against the corneal toxicity caused by capecitabine in adult male albino rats.
Material and Methods: Thirty-six adult male albino rats were divided into four equal groups; control group, hesperidin-treated group (50 mg/kg), capecitabine-treated group (40 mg/kg), and combination-treated "capecitabine and hesperidin–treated" group. Animals were orally administered once daily for one month. Specimens from the cornea were processed for light and electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical study was performed using antibodies against p53.
Results: Specimens from capecitabine-treated animals showed significant decrease of epithelial thickness. The corneal epithelial cells showed nuclear alteration and vacuolated cytoplasm. The stromal collagen fibers were irregularly-arranged and widely separated with neovascularization and mononuclear cellular infiltration. Ultrastructurally, focal widening of the intercellular spaces, partial loss of desmosomal junctions and swollen mitochondria were observed. The immunohistochemical study showed a significant increase in p53 immunoreaction. In contrast, minimal changes were observed in rats treated concomitantly with both capecitabine and hesperidin, with a non significant increase in the immunoreactions.
Conclusion: Capecitabine induced structural changes in cornea of adult albino rat that could be ameliorated by concomitant treatment with hesperidin.