%0 Journal Article %A SUNG KYUN YIM %A KYOUNG MIN KIM %A CHANG-HOON LEE %A EUN-KEE SONG %A SEUNG OK LEE %A SANG WOOK KIM %A IN HEE KIM %A SEONG-HUN KIM %A SEUNG YOUNG SEO %A SOO TEIK LEE %T The Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic M40403, Improves 5-Fluorouracil-induced Small Intestinal Mucositis in a Mouse Model %D 2021 %R 10.21873/invivo.12401 %J In Vivo %P 1485-1497 %V 35 %N 3 %X Background/Aim: Intestinal mucositis with diarrhea is a dose-limiting toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). M40403, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, was evaluated on whether it improves the mucositis with diarrhea. Materials and Methods: BALB/c mice were treated with daily intraperitoneal injections of 5-FU±M40403 for five consecutive days. Following treatment, light microscopy (apoptosis), electron microscopy (autophagy), and analyses for the expression of apoptosis/autophagy-related proteins were performed in analysing small intestinal samples. Body weight, diarrhea score, blood cytokine levels, complete blood count, and blood chemistries were measured. The in vivo anti-tumor activity of 5-FU±M40403 was also evaluated. Results: M40403 improved 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis (apoptosis and autophagy) and attenuated 5-FU-induced changes in the expression of apoptosis/autophagy-related proteins, weight loss, diarrhea score, and serum TNF-α levels. M40403 neither added further adverse effects nor compromised the anti-tumor activity during 5-FU treatment. Conclusion: M40403 can be useful in improving 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis with diarrhea. %U https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/invivo/35/3/1485.full.pdf