histopathological and biochemical evaluation of protective effects of lemongrass (cymbopogon citratus) essential oil on 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal damage in murine model

5-fluoraracil (5-fu) is a common chemotherapy drug, but its toxicity is considered a big obstacle to successful cancer chemotherapy. oxidative stress plays an important role in 5-fu toxicity. plant compounds reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress. this study aimed to explore the potential protective effects of lemongrass essential oil (lg) on intestinal tissue damage caused by 5-fu. forty-eight mice were divided into six groups including control, 5-fu (200 mg/kg, ip), 5-fu (200 mg/kg, ip along with lg (125, 250, and 500 mg/kg, po), and lg alone (500 mg/kg, po) for six days. on the seventh day, serum and intestinal tissue samples were collected. the histopathological analysis of the intestine tissues revealed that a single dose of 5-fu led to degenerative damage, destruction of the epithelium, shortened villi length, and edema in the small intestine. it also caused a significant increase in serum (malondialdehyde) mda levels, and a notable reduction in superoxide dismutase (sod) and catalase serum levels. oral administration of lg, particularly at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg, significantly mitigated the severity of these lesions and serum marker alterations. importantly, the study observed that administering a high dose of lg did not induce any pathological effects in the intestine tissue or serum. lg oil offers protective effects against 5-fu-induced damage in the mice intestine and serum biochemical changes, which can help reduce oxidative damage caused by free radicals generated by 5-fu.