Delivery Strategies of Probiotics from Nano- and Microparticles: Trends in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-An Overview

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder, most known as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), that affects the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), causing considerable symptoms to millions of people around the world. Conventional therapeutic strategies have limitations and side effects, prompting the exploration of innovative approaches. Probiotics, known for their potential to restore gut homeostasis, have emerged as promising candidates for IBD management. Probiotics have been shown to minimize disease symptoms, particularly in patients affected by UC, opening important opportunities to better treat this disease. However, they exhibit limitations in terms of stability and targeted delivery. As several studies demonstrate, the encapsulation of the probiotics, as well as the synthetic drug, into micro- and nanoparticles of organic materials offers great potential to solve this problem. They resist the harsh conditions of the upper GIT portions and, thus, protect the probiotic and drug inside, allowing for the delivery of adequate amounts directly into the colon. An overview of UC and CD, the benefits of the use of probiotics, and the potential of micro- and nanoencapsulation technologies to improve IBD treatment are presented. This review sheds light on the remarkable potential of nano- and microparticles loaded with probiotics as a novel and efficient strategy for managing IBD. Nonetheless, further investigations and clinical trials are warranted to validate their long-term safety and efficacy, paving the way for a new era in IBD therapeutics.

Keywords: drug delivery systems; gastrointestinal tract; inflammatory bowel disease; microparticles; nanoparticles; probiotics.

Figure 1

Ulcerative colitis classification with incidence and main symptoms.

Figure 2

(A) Factors of risk for IBD and (B) main differences between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Figure 3

Structural formula and mechanism of action of 5-ASA.

Figure 4

(A) Schematic illustration of the fabrication and mechanism of the Gel-Pa-HMs@LP. (B) Schematic illustration of the encapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum precisely delivered to the inflammatory area and released in response to ROS. (C). Schematic illustration of the ROS scavenging mechanism of the Gel-Pa-HMs. Reprinted (adapted) with permission from Zhu et al. [129]. Copyright 2023 American Chemical Society. (D) H&E-stained pathological sections of colons of mice with different treatments on day 6, scale bar = 100 μm, and representative photographs of rectal areas of a healthy mouse and IBD mice after treatment with H₂O and 20 and 100 mg/kg microparticles. Reprinted (adapted) with permission from Li et al. [131]. Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.