Overview
Validation of the Medical Food Enterade-R in Relieving GI Symptoms in Mice Exposed to Radiation
Principal Investigator:
Hari Thrivikramji, M.D.
Technical Summary
Exposure to ionizing radiation represents one of the most significant health risks to astronauts during spaceflight. Nausea and vomiting are amongst the most common symptoms of irradiation induced gastrointestinal toxicity. Research on emesis and antiemetics has been limited, partly because common laboratory animals, such as rats, guinea pigs and mice do not vomit. Understanding the pathophysiological mechanism for the nausea and vomiting is essential to identifying novel pharmacological approaches to the development of anti-emetics and also for gaining insights into the underlying defect during radiation where nausea and vomiting are cardinal features. Pica, the eating of nonnutritive substances such as kaolin, is an illness-response behavior in rodents that is indicative of emesis. Phase I of this project will evaluate the efficacy of the medical food Enterade-R to prevent and mitigate the effects of total body gamma-irradiation on emesis (Pica) and gastrointestinal (GI) nutrient transport in mice. Phase II of this project will assess efficacy of Enterade-R to prevent the effects of proton irradiation (consistent with what astronauts would be exposed to during a solar particle event) on the GI system in mice.
Earth Applications
There are about 400,000 patients that undergo abdomino-pelvic radiotherapy each year for cancer in just the United States. These patients currently take products such as Ensure to manage their hydration during their course of radiotherapy with poor results – because these products contain glucose which worsens symptoms and none are formulated to utilize alternate pathways for sodium absorption that open up during stress from radiation. Enterade, if taken during the course of radiotherapy will (1) increase the electrolyte absorption; (2) improve the mucosal barrier mechanism; (3) decrease anion and fluid secretions; (4) decrease osmotic diarrhea; and (5) improving the appetite, thus controlling the symptoms of gastrointestinal toxicity by tackling the root physiological alterations. The product also has application in situations where there is radiation hazard such as what happened in the Fukushima reactor in Japan during the tsunami.
This project's funding ended in 2013