Prebiotics Fructo-, Galacto-, and Mannan-Oligosaccharide Do Not Protect against 5-Fluorouracil–Induced Intestinal Mucositis in Rats

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition 2019-12, Vol.149 (12), p.2164-2173
• Main Authors: Yazbeck, Roger, Lindsay, Ruth J, Geier, Mark S, Butler, Ross N, Howarth, Gordon S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5-Fluorouracil; animal model; Animals; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - toxicity; Body weight; Butyric acid; Clinical trials; Damage; Digestive system; Feces - chemistry; Female; Fermentation; Fluorouracil - toxicity; Food intake; Fructooligosaccharides; Fuel consumption; Galactooligosaccharides; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Histopathology; Injection; intestinal damage; Intestinal Mucosa - drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; Intestinal Mucosa - pathology; Intestine; Kruskal-Wallis test; Mannan; Medical treatment; Mucosa; Mucositis; Mucositis - chemically induced; Mucositis - prevention & control; Oligosaccharides - chemistry; Oligosaccharides - pharmacology; Peroxidase; Prebiotics; rat; Rats; Rodents; small intestine; Statistical analysis; Variance analysis; Villus; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz192

Prebiotics selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract, and have been investigated in human and animal studies for their capacity to improve intestinal health. We investigated the prebiotics fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS), and mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) for their potential to alleviate intestinal damage in rats. Female Dark Agouti rats (6–8 wk old, 110–150 g) were allocated to 1 of the following treatment groups (n = 8/group): saline/water, saline/FOS, saline/GOS, saline/MOS, 5-fluorouracil (5FU)/water, 5FU/FOS, 5FU/GOS, and 5FU/MOS. Rats were pretreated with either 5% GOS, MOS, or FOS or vehicle (water) from day −12 to day 0. On day 0, rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of saline or 5FU. Metabolic data were recorded daily and all rats were killed on day 3. Histopathology was quantified in hematoxylin and eosin–stained sections. Intestinal sucrase and myeloperoxidase activity were quantified by biochemical assay. Fecal SCFAs—acetic, propionic, and butyric acid—were also measured. Statistical analysis was by repeated-measures, 2-factor ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U test; P