Animal models of mucositis: implications for therapy.

Alimentary mucositis is a major acute complication in the clinical setting, occurring in a large percentage of patients undergoing cytotoxic therapy. One of the major problems with alimentary mucositis is that the underlying mechanisms behind its development are not entirely understood, which makes it extremely difficult to develop effective interventions. Animal models provide a critical source of knowledge when sampling from patients is unavailable or interventions are yet to be fully tested. This review focuses on the animal models used to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of mucositis and translate new antimucotoxic agents into clinical trials.