The Alleviating Effect of Gallic Acid on Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression

Abstract Background This study aims to investigate the alleviating effects of Gallic Acid (GA) on chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression. Methods A mouse model of bone marrow suppression was established in BALB/c mice using intraperitoneal injections of cyclophosphamide (CTX). Mice were treated with low (100 mg/kg/d), medium (200 mg/kg/d), and high (400 mg/kg/d) doses of GA to mitigate the CTX-induced bone marrow suppression. The efficacy of GA in alleviating chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression was evaluated through blood cell counts, immune organ (thymus and spleen) indices, bone marrow nucleated cell (BMNC) counts, cell cycle, apoptosis, histopathology of bone marrow and spleen, and analysis of splenic hematopoietic factors. Results CTX induced a decrease in peripheral blood and BMNC counts, reduced spleen and thymus indices, and abnormal pathology of bone marrow and spleen, as well as disturbances in hematopoietic factors. GA was able to alleviate these abnormalities in the bone marrow. It modulated cell proliferation and apoptosis, adjusted the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase, and reduced apoptosis in femoral bone marrow. Conclusion GA can alleviate the atrophy of immune organs, relieve the proliferation blockade of bone marrow cells, inhibit bone marrow cell apoptosis, and promote the recovery of the spleen and hematopoietic factors, thereby mitigating CTX-induced bone marrow suppression. The study confirms the potential of the natural compound GA as an effective adjunct in alleviating CTX-induced bone marrow suppression, offering significant clinical application potential. These findings provide a theoretical basis and experimental evidence for developing new adjunct chemotherapy treatment strategies.