Reductase-Labile Peptidic Supramolecular Hydrogels Aided in Oral Delivery of Probiotics
Jiali Chen, Pai Zhang, Chengling Wu, Qingxin Yao, Ruitao Cha, Yuan Gao
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Abstract
Oral delivery of probiotics has been a promising method for treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). However, probiotics always suffer from substantial loss of viability due to the harsh gastrointestinal conditions, especially the highly acidic environment in the stomach and bile salts in the intestine. In addition, to overcome the challenging conditions, an ideal delivery of probiotics requires the on-demand release of probiotics upon environmental response. Herein, a novel nitroreductase (NTR) labile peptidic hydrogel based on supramolecular self-assembly is demonstrated. The efficient encapsulation of typical probiotic <i>Escherichia coli</i> <i>Nissle 1917</i> (EcN) into supramolecular assemblies yielded a probiotic-loaded hydrogel (EcN@Gel). Such a hydrogel adequately protected EcN to improve its viability against harsh acid and bile salt environments during oral delivery. The upregulated NTR in the intestinal tract triggered the disassembly of the hydrogel and accomplished the controlled release of EcN locally. In ulcerative colitis (UC)-bearing mice, EcN@Gel showed significantly enhanced therapeutic efficacy by downregulating proinflammatory cytokines and repairing the intestinal barrier. Moreover, EcN@Gel remolded the gut microbiome by increasing the diversity and abundance of indigenous probiotics, contributing to ameliorated therapies of IBDs. The NTR-labile hydrogel provided a promising platform for the on-demand delivery of probiotics into the intestinal tract.
Extracted Claims
4 claims extracted from this paper into the knowledge graph
EcN@Gel showed enhanced therapeutic efficacy
“In ulcerative colitis (UC)-bearing mice, EcN@Gel showed significantly enhanced therapeutic efficacy by downregulating proinflammatory cytokines and repairing the intestinal barrier.”
NTR-labile peptidic hydrogel triggered disassembly of the hydrogel and controlled release of probiotics
“The upregulated NTR in the intestinal tract triggered the disassembly of the hydrogel and accomplished the controlled release of EcN locally.”
EcN@Gel remolded gut microbiome
“Moreover, EcN@Gel remolded the gut microbiome by increasing the diversity and abundance of indigenous probiotics, contributing to ameliorated therapies of IBDs.”