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Objective: To observe the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on modulation of the disorders of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the severe sepsis as a result of intra-abdominal infection in rat, and to investigate the mechanism of efficacy of 5-FU in the treatment of severe sepsis., Methods: Thirty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, severe sepsis group and 5-FU group. Healthy rats served as control (n=10). Severe sepsis was induced by peritoneal injection of 1.8x10(12) cfu/L E. coli with the volume of 10 ml/kg body weight. In the 5-FU group, 50 mg/kg of 5-FU was injected intraperitoneally 40 minutes after severe sepsis was induced. All rats were sacrificed 6 hours after operation. The mortality and the ascites rate were assessed 6 hours after sepsis. At the same time the wet weight of the lung was measured and venous blood was collected for determination of concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10., Results: Compared with those of severe sepsis group, the mortality and the ascites rate at 6 hours were decreased significantly in 5-FU group (P<0.05 and P<0.01). The wet weight of lung in severe sepsis group was higher significantly than that in control group (P<0.01). The lung tissue wet weight in 5-FU group was lower than that of severe sepsis group (P<0.05), but it showed no difference when compared with that of control group. The levels of IL-6 and IL-10 in severe sepsis group were higher significantly than those in control group (both P<0.01). The level of IL-6 in 5-FU group was lower than that in severe sepsis group, but with no difference compared with that of control group. The level of IL-10 in 5-FU group was also lower than that in severe sepsis group, but higher than that in control group (both P<0.01)., Conclusion: 5-FU may lower simultaneously the level of proinflammatory IL-6 and anti-inflammatory IL-10, alleviate lung edema and inflammation. 5-FU has the protective effect against severe sepsis in rat.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation with Chinese herbal additives on the serum immunity, cytokines, antioxidant indices, and rectal microbiota in Simmental beef cattle. Using a single-factor randomized block design, 20 healthy Simmental beef cattle with an average age of 12 months and a mean weight of (268.80 ± 4.95) kg were randomly assigned to a control group (CG group) and an experimental group (AG group), with 10 replicates per group and one beef cattle per replicate. The CG group was fed a basal diet, while the AG group received an additional 100 g/(head-day) of Chinese herbal additives on the basis of basal diet. The pre-feeding period lasted for five days, followed by a formal experimental period of 60 days. The results showed that compared to the CG group, the AG group showed an increase of 12.70% and 7.58% in the serum IgA and IL-6 concentrations (P<0.05), the serum T-SOD activity increased by 3.13% (P<0.05), the MDA content decreased by 28.87% (P<0.05), and the T-AOC increased by 1.39% (P>0.05). The Shannon, Chao1, and Ace indices of the intestinal flora of Simmental beef cattle in the AG group increased by 0.17%, 1.51%, and 0.96% compared with the CG group, respectively (P>0.05). In the AG group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia increased by 6.50% and 2.94% (P>0.05), respectively. Compared to the CG group, Firmicutes decreased by 5.94% (P>0.05). The relative abundance of unclassified Bacteroidetes was higher in the AG group (P<0.05), and the relative abundance of Phocaeicola and Alistipes increased by 8.33% and 16.45% (P>0.05), respectively. The study indicates that the addition of Chinese herbal additives can enhance the immune level and antioxidant capacity of Simmental beef cattle, increase the relative abundance of intestinal microbiota, promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and improve the cattle's ability to digest fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]