Establishment of 5-fluorouracil-induced chemotherapeutic intestinal mucositis model in mice

  Purpose: To study the 5-fluorouracil (5-fluorouracil, 5-FU) induced chemotherapy intestinal mucositis animal model in mice.

  Methods: Different doses of 5-FU were administered intraperitoneally or continuously for 5 days to mice. The body weight and diarrhea of the mice were observed daily. At 72 hours or 24 hours after the last administration, the peripheral blood and blood conditions of the mice were observed. Pathological changes of the small intestine.

  Results: Compared with the normal group, after a single or continuous 5-day administration of 5-FU, the mice in each dose group experienced varying degrees of diarrhea and weight loss, and the levels of white blood cells and platelets in the peripheral blood were significantly reduced (P<0.05 or P < 0.01), of which the single-dose 400 mg/kg group and the continuous 50,100 mg/kg group showed obvious pathological features of intestinal mucositis. The 100 mg/kg group was overdose and the mortality rate reached 100%.

  Conclusion: The effects of single or continuous 5-day administration of 5-FU on intestinal mucositis in mice are dose-dependent. 400 mg/kg for a single dose is the appropriate dose, and 50 mg/kg for a continuous 5-day dose.