Oral Mucositis (OM) is the most common side effect due to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which are the conventional treatment options for head and neck cancers. OM is a severe inflammatory condition characterized by multifactorial etiopathogenesis. It further negatively affects patients’ quality of life by severe impairment of normal oral functions. Consequently, it is mandatory to identify new effective therapeutic approaches to both prevent and treat OM while also avoiding any recurrence. Polyphenols recently attracted the interest of the scientific community due to their low toxicity and wide range of biological activities making them ideal candidates for several applications in the odontostomatological field, particularly against OM. This review collects the in vivo studies and the clinical trials conducted over the past 13 years evaluating the preventive and curative effects of several polyphenolic compounds towards chemo- and radiotherapy-induced OM, both when administered alone or as a plant-extracted phytocomplex. The literature fully confirms the usefulness of these molecules, thus opening the possibility of their clinical application. However, polyphenol limitations (e.g., unfavourable physicochemical properties and susceptibility to degradation) have emerged. Consequently, the interest of the scientific community should be focused on developing innovative delivery systems able to stabilize polyphenols, thus facilitating topical administration and maximizing their efficacy.
口腔黏膜炎是头颈部癌症常规治疗手段——化疗与放疗最常见的副作用，其发病机制复杂，属于严重的炎症性疾病。该病症会严重损害口腔正常功能，进而对患者生活质量产生负面影响。因此，必须探索既能预防和治疗口腔黏膜炎，又能避免其复发的新型有效疗法。多酚类物质因其低毒性和广泛的生物活性，近年来受到科学界关注，成为牙科领域特别是防治口腔黏膜炎的理想候选物质。本综述汇总了过去13年间开展的体内研究和临床试验，评估了多种多酚类化合物（无论是单独给药还是作为植物提取复合物）对放化疗所致口腔黏膜炎的预防和治疗效果。文献充分证实了这些分子的有效性，为其临床应用提供了可能。然而，多酚类物质的局限性（如不利的理化特性和易降解性）也逐渐显现。因此，科学界应致力于开发能够稳定多酚的创新递送系统，从而促进局部给药并最大化其疗效。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家