Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
Published on: May 16, 2025
Oral Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Therapy: A Comparative Study with Microparticles and Nanoparticles
Panpan Ma1,2, Xiaoying Si1, Qiubing Chen1
1Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Background:
Oral administrations of microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely employed as therapeutic approaches for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, no previous study has comparatively investigated the therapeutic efficacies of MPs and NPs.
Methods:
In this study, curcumin (CUR)-loaded MPs (CUR-MPs) and CUR-loaded NPs (CUR-NPs) were prepared using a single water-in-oil emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Their therapeutic outcomes against UC were further comparatively studied.
Results:
The resultant spherical MPs and NPs exhibited slightly negative zeta-potential with average particle diameters of approximately 1.7 µm and 270 nm, respectively. It was found that NPs exhibited a much higher CUR release rate than MPs within the same period of investigation. In vivo experiments demonstrated that oral administration of CUR-MPs and CUR-NPs reduced the symptoms of inflammation in a UC mouse model induced by dextran sulfate sodium. Importantly, CUR-NPs showed much better therapeutic outcomes in alleviating UC compared with CUR-MPs.
Conclusion:
NPs can improve the anti-inflammatory activity of CUR by enhancing the drug release and cellular uptake efficiency, in comparison with MPs. Thus, they could be exploited as a promising oral drug delivery system for effective UC treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Drugs for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in IBD
Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, encompasses a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Risk Factors
The exact cause of IBD remains unclear, although it is believed to be due to a mix of genetic, environmental, microbial, and immune factors. Genetic factors are significant in determining susceptibility to IBD, with family history being a critical risk factor. Individuals with a first-degree relative who has IBD are at...
Comparative Excretory Systems
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Treating Helicobacter pylori in Peptic Ulcers: Antimicrobial Therapy
Non-Oral Extravascular Drug Absorption Routes
Lipophilic drugs that are stable at salivary pH (6) and exhibit minimal binding to the oral mucosa are absorbed more...

