Efficacy of ginsenoside treatment to alleviate anticancer-drug induced mucoenteritis in mice

Abstract

5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is widely used as an anticancer drug, causes enteritis due to disruption of mucosal tissue, resulting in diarrhoea and body weight loss. Ginsenoside Rd (GRd) and ginsenoside Re (GRe) are two of the saponins contained in carrots. Their anti-inflammatory effects on the digestive system have been reported, but their effects on small intestinal mucositis have not been studied much. This study investigated the effect of GRd and GRe on 5-FU-induced mucoenteritis. GRd and GRe did not affect weight loss or exacerbation of diarrhoea due to 5-FU administration in mice. Histopathological observations showed that 5-FU reduced the shortening of intestinal villi and the number of crypts and cells compared to the vehicle group. However, co-administration of GRd and GRe, significantly suppressed the decrease in the number of small intestinal crypts and cells in the crypt by 5-FU treatment. It indicates that 5-FU-induced enteritis is attenuated by the co-administration of GRd and GRe. The expression of NF-κB was increased by 5-FU administration and this increase was clearly suppressed in the group that was co-administered GRd. Although the anti-inflammatory effects of GRd and GRe have been reported based on various mechanisms in many models, the mechanism of their enteritis-suppressing action in anticancer drug-induced enteritis has not been clarified. It was reported that the anti-inflammatory effect of GRd was due to the suppression of NF-κB expression; we concluded that NF-κB may be one of the molecules involved in the suppression of 5-FU-incuced enteritis.