Mechanisms of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex Volatile Oil in Alleviating 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Mucositis via Multi-Omics Approaches.

Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced mucositis (CIM) causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms in cancer patients. Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, a traditional medicine, has demonstrated therapeutic promise in mitigating intestinal mucositis and gastrointestinal disorders, with advantages including marked efficacy and low adverse effect profiles compared to conventional pharmacotherapies. However, the therapeutic potential and mechanisms of the volatile oil of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex (MagO) against CIM remain elusive. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of MagO against 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced mucositis in mice via integrated multi-omics approaches.

Methods: CIM model was established in ICR mice via intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU. The therapeutic effect of MagO on 5-FU-induced CIM was evaluated by monitoring body weight, diarrhea score, spleen index, ileum histopathology, and measuring DAO, D-LA, and inflammatory cytokines levels in serum. Metabolites and gut microbiota were analyzed through non-targeted metabolomics and 16S rDNA sequencing. Furthermore, potential mechanisms of MagO were assessed via GC-MS, network pharmacology, molecular docking, Western blot, and RT-qPCR.

Results: MagO ameliorated 5-FU-induced intestinal mucosal injury and barrier dysfunction, as evidenced by significantly increased body weight rate reduced diarrhea scores, and alleviated ileum tissue damage. It also decreased IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, D-LA, and DAO levels in serum. Furthermore, MagO restored gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiles, specifically modulated the arachidonic acid metabolism by promoting PGE2 synthesis and upregulating EP2 and EP4 expressions. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that MagO exerted anti-CIM effects through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, upregulation of Bcl-2 and intestinal barrier proteins (ZO-1, Occludin) expressions, and downregulation of Bax expression.

Conclusion: MagO mitigated CIM by modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and the PGE2/EP2/EP4 axis, restoring gut microbiota and metabolites composition, reducing apoptosis, and improving intestinal permeability.