Treatment of 5-fluorouracil-induced chemotherapeutic intestinal mucositis in mice by oral inulin via glycerophospholipid and retinol metabolic pathways

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a commonly used chemotherapy drug, but there is no effective prevention and treatment for the side effects of intestinal mucositis induced by 5-FU.Inulin is a type of fermentable dietary fiber, which is non-digestible, and can improve metabolic function by modulating intestinal microbiota.The current study is aimed at appraising the effect of inulin on 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis in mice by non-targeted metabolomics.The results indicated that oral inulin significantly inhibited 5-FU-induced body weight loss and intestinal shortening in mice, inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1 expression, and increased IL-10 and IgA expressions.Inulin could significantly reduce intestinal mucosal injury induced by 5-FU in mice and significantly affected the production of 27 different metabolites in mouse serum.These metabolites were closely related to glycerophospholipid metabolism and retinol metabolic pathways.The study provided a potential new method for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapeutic intestinal mucositis.