Impact of Oral Intake of Glucosylceramide Extracted from Pineapple on Xerostomia: A Double-Blind Randomized Cross-Over Trial.

Mamoru Murakami,Yoko Minemoto,Takaharu Shimizu,Masahiro Nishimura,Tomohiro Masuzaki,Takahiro Yanagisawa,Yasuhiro Nishi,Akito Tsuboi,Kae Harada,Taizo Hamada

doi:10.3390/nu11092020

Abstract

Background: The aim of this double-blind randomized cross-over trial was to evaluate the effect of oral intake of glucosylceramide extracted from pineapple on oral moisture and xerostomia symptoms. Methods: Sixteen participants who had xerostomia symptoms were randomly allocated into two groups. One group received, as test samples, tablets containing glucosylceramide extracted from pineapple (GCP) followed by placebo tablets. The other group received the test samples in the reverse order. Participants were instructed to take tablets of the first test sample once a day (after breakfast) for two consecutive weeks. Then, after a washout period of four weeks, participants were instructed to take the other test sample for two consecutive weeks. The oral moisture level of the lingual mucosa, xerostomia symptoms, and the number of fungiform papillae was evaluated. Results: The oral moisture significantly increased, and the visual analog scale (VAS) of “How is the dryness of your mouth?” significantly improved after GCP tablets intake and not after placebo tablets intake. The number of fungiform papillae was not significantly different following the intake of GCP tablets or placebo tablets. Conclusion: Results suggested that oral intake of GCP may improve the moisture level and xerostomia symptoms.

Highlights

Xerostomia can be caused by radiation therapy, Sjogren’s syndrome, and multidrug therapy in older patients [1,2]
No side effects caused by the intake of glucosylceramide extracted from pineapple (GCP) tablets or placebo tablets were observed in any of the 16 participants
There were no significant differences in age, number of remaining teeth, use of removable prostheses, medications, and oral moisture level at the baseline between the two groups, whereas the gender distribution was significantly different between the two groups

Summary

Introduction

Xerostomia can be caused by radiation therapy, Sjogren’s syndrome, and multidrug therapy in older patients [1,2]. For xerostomia resulting from radiotherapy or Sjogren’s syndrome, pilocarpine and cevimeline are prescribed to promote saliva secretion [1,2] These drugs can cause adverse side effects such as hyperhidrosis and dyspepsia [1,2]. As a symptomatic treatment for xerostomia, oral moisturizers can be prescribed [1,2,3] These products still need further improvement in terms of the prolonged duration of treatment effect and cost effectiveness [2,3]. The aim of this double-blind randomized cross-over trial was to evaluate the effect of oral intake of glucosylceramide extracted from pineapple on oral moisture and xerostomia symptoms. The oral moisture level of the lingual mucosa, xerostomia symptoms, and the number of fungiform papillae was evaluated

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion