Sulforaphane attenuates 5-fluorouracil induced intestinal injury in mice

5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) is a chemotherapy drug and can cause intestinal mucositis. In this study, the effects of sulforaphane (SFN) treatment at low (2 mg kg(-1)) and high (20 mg kg(-1)) doses on 5-Fu induced intestinal injury were evaluated. Compared with 5-Fu group, the severity of intestinal injury was significantly attenuated by SFN treatments, which alleviated the weight loss, repaired the disruption of epithelium structure in jejunum and colon, reduced the intestinal inflammation and healed intestinal permeability. However, SFN administration had no significant effect on the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration which was reduced by 5-Fu treatment. Meanwhile, SFN treatments especially at high dose, significantly up-regulated the gene expression related to antioxidant defense (Nrf2 & HO-1) and tight junction (Claudin-1) in jejunum, while decreasing the expression of inflammation related genes (NF-kappa B & iNOS) compared to 5-Fu group. Therefore, SFN treatment may be a promising strategy to reduce intestinal injury in chemotherapy.