Electrospinning Device: Drug-free protein nanoparticles target the inflamed colon and restore gut barrier integrity for effective treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Background

Studies have shown that silk fibroin nanoparticles (FNPs) loaded with resveratrol show significant efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, FNPs can reduce the expression of markers related to the intestinal inflammatory process, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12, and its effect is similar to that of dexamethasone. This shows that silk fibroin nanoparticles, as a carrier, can enhance the intestinal anti-inflammatory effect of resveratrol and improve the barrier function of colonic epithelium.

Targeting of silk fibroin nanoparticles

In another study, cRGD peptide was combined with patchouli alcohol-loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles to enhance the targeting of inflammatory sites of colitis. This nanoparticle achieves sustained release of drugs through self-assembly and significantly targets drug delivery to the inflamed colon, enhancing anti-inflammatory and barrier repair capabilities.

Intestinal microbiota regulation of silk fibroin nanoparticles

Silk fibroin nanoparticles can significantly increase the bacterial richness and diversity of colitis mice and regulate the intestinal flora structure to a level close to that of healthy mice. In addition, silk fibroin nanoparticles increased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, inhibited the expansion of harmful bacteria, and increased the relative abundance of probiotics.

Intestinal metabolite regulation by silk fibroin nanoparticles

UHPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that the metabolites of the silk fibroin nanoparticle group were significantly changed, mainly involved in the metabolism of amino acids, energy, and nutrients. In particular, the silk fibroin nanoparticle group showed a significant increase in inosine and cAMP, indicating enhanced purine metabolism and significantly increased levels of short-chain fatty acids.

Application of electrospinning technology in the preparation of silk fibroin nanoparticles

Electrospinning technology was used to prepare silk fibroin/PLGA (lactic-co-glycolic acid) fiber scaffolds for vascular tissue engineering. This technology can prepare nanofibers with good biocompatibility and biodegradability, which can be used to support cell growth and tissue repair.

Clinical potential of silk fibroin nanoparticles

Silk fibroin nanoparticles can be used as a payload-free, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective therapeutic strategy to prevent microbial and metabolome disorders. This silk fibroin nanoparticle-based microbiome modulation strategy may become a simple, safe, and effective option for the treatment of other inflammatory and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, Parkinson's disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Summary

In summary, silk fibroin nanoparticles have shown significant efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, which restores intestinal barrier integrity by regulating intestinal microbiota and metabolites, thereby treating colitis. Electrospinning technology has potential applications in the preparation of silk fibroin-based nanofiber scaffolds, which provides a new approach for the application of silk fibroin nanoparticles in the biomedical field.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/agt2.515