Zhang Xinyue, Liu Shuyun, Xin Rui, Hu Wenxiu, Zhang Qiqi, Lu Qian, Han Lu
Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, Shandong, China.
Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Jul 28;12(15):5749-5761. doi: 10.1039/d5mh00114e.
Characterized by elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disrupted gut flora, ulcerative colitis (UC) affects millions of patients worldwide. Probiotic therapy is commonly utilized in clinical practice to modulate intestinal flora and ameliorate colitis symptoms. Nonetheless, oral probiotics encounter challenges such as limited bioactivity, brief retention time, intricate pathological conditions, and singular efficacy. Here we designed plant-derived 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA) prodrug nanomicelles with ROS and inflammation-resolving capabilities, as well as anti-depressant effects, to protect probiotics and amplify their therapeutic effects in alleviating UC and UC-associated depression-like behaviors. Upon oral administration to UC lesion sites, prodrug nanomicelles can be dissociated by excessive ROS and release 18β-GA to attenuate colonic inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn provided a favorable microenvironment for LGG to repair intestinal barrier integrity and restore the gut microbiota. The synergistic therapeutic effects of STG nanomicelles and LGG alleviated UC-associated depression-like behavior by suppressing the activation of microglia and reducing neuroinflammation. This study introduces a promising strategy for oral nanomedicine with satisfactory therapeutic outcomes for the treatment of inflammatory diseases by integrating naturally derived small-molecule drugs with probiotics.
溃疡性结肠炎(UC)的特征是活性氧(ROS)升高和肠道菌群紊乱,影响着全球数百万患者。益生菌疗法在临床实践中常用于调节肠道菌群和改善结肠炎症状。然而,口服益生菌面临着生物活性有限、保留时间短、病理状况复杂和疗效单一等挑战。在此,我们设计了具有ROS清除和炎症缓解能力以及抗抑郁作用的植物源18β-甘草次酸(18β-GA)前药纳米胶束,以保护益生菌并增强其在缓解UC及UC相关抑郁样行为方面的治疗效果。口服给药至UC病变部位后,前药纳米胶束可被过量的ROS解离并释放18β-GA,以减轻结肠炎症反应和氧化应激,进而为鼠李糖乳杆菌(LGG)修复肠道屏障完整性和恢复肠道微生物群提供有利的微环境。STG纳米胶束和LGG的协同治疗作用通过抑制小胶质细胞的激活和减轻神经炎症来缓解UC相关的抑郁样行为。本研究通过将天然来源的小分子药物与益生菌相结合,为口服纳米药物治疗炎症性疾病引入了一种具有良好治疗效果的有前景的策略。