Chang Hong, Wang Xinru, Sui Donglin, Liu Yi, Xia Xiaodong, Qin Ningbo
State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing and Safety Control, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, 116034, Liaoning, China.
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hom Hung, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2026 Jan 12;81(1):13. doi: 10.1007/s11130-025-01463-z.
Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) offer both prophylactic and therapeutic potential for ulcerative colitis (UC). Following the successful isolation of Sargassum fusiforme-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (SELNs), this study investigated the protective efficacy of SELNs in mitigating Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis. SELNs administration exhibited prolonged gut retention and colon-targeting efficacy and significantly alleviated colitis symptoms, including body weight loss, colonic shortening, and histological damage, while promoting tight junction and MUC2 protein expression. SELNs suppressed the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB cascade, a key inflammatory pathway, resulting in downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) and upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-22), coupled with iNOS abrogation. Furthermore, SELNs modulated the gut microbiota compositon, especially increasing the abundance of Muribaculum intestinale, and promoted the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Collectively, these findings suggest that SELNs possess significant promise as a functional food ingredient for colitis through intestinal homeostasis modulation and inflammatory pathway regulation. Given their natural source and potent anti‑inflammatory effects, SELNs hold good potential for commercialization as a novel nutraceutical for inflammatory bowel disease intervention.
