Yeast Microcapsule Mediated Natural Products Delivery for Treating Ulcerative Colitis through Anti-Inflammatory and Regulation of Macrophage Polarization
Xingxing Feng, Qi Xie, Hongbo Xu, Tiantian Zhang, Xiao‐Nan Li, Yinmei Tian, Hongbing Lan, Li Kong, Zhiping Zhang
Abstract
The common and frequent disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), causes serious physical and mental distress to patients. M2 macrophages have proven to play a role in anti-inflammation, which is a new potential target for UC therapy. In this study, we designed a safe and macrophages-targeting oral drug delivery system. Natural products, berberine (BBR), and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) with anti-inflammatory activity were assembled and encapsulated into yeast microcapsule (YM), generating therapeutic system BBR/MPN@YM. BBR and EGCG exhibited synergistic effects against UC through the effect of antioxidation. Through the interaction between β-1,3-d-glucan on the surface of YM and dectin-1 receptors on macrophages, BBR/MPN@YM could be effectively transported to inflammation parts and internalized into macrophages, avoiding gastric degradation. In the in vivo UC mouse model, BBR/MPN@YM could transform M1 macrophages into anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, thus exerting specific anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, this BBR/MPN@YM targeted oral drug delivery system provided a new macrophages-targeting strategy for the clinical treatment of UC.