Purpose Irinotecan is widely used in metastatic colorectal cancer, but its clinical utility is limited by gastrointestinal toxicity, particularly intestinal mucositis, for which effective therapies are lacking. This study evaluated the protective effects of pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione PPAR-γ agonist, against irinotecan-induced mucositis in female Swiss mice. Methods Mucositis was induced by irinotecan (75 mg/kg, i.p., fo...