Lactobacillus rhamnosus FLRH93 protects against intestinal damage in mice induced by 5-fluorouracil.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used as a chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of cancer but it has toxic side effects. It can induce severe intestinal damage and even lead to death. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether milk fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus FLRH93 could alleviate intestinal damage induced by 5-FU. The results of injury intervention in a mouse model showed that milk fermented with Lb. rhamnosus FLRH93 significantly ameliorated intestinal injury caused by 5-FU. The results of hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that mice fed Lb. rhamnosus FLRH93 preserved the villus/crypt ratio and reduced the loss of goblet cells in ileum sections of 5-FU-treated animal. Further, administration of fermented milk upregulated expression of Bcl-2 in the intestinal tract and downregulated the expression of NLRP3, thus reducing the production of inflammatory factors interleukin 1-β and tumor necrosis factor-α. The survival rate of mice treated with fermented milk was twice that of mice not fed fermented milk after continuous oral administration of 5-FU. In conclusion, Lb. rhamnosus FLRH93 has positive effects on body injury and could be used to prevent intestinal damage caused by cancer chemotherapy.