Ulcerative colitis alleviation of colon-specific delivered rhamnolipid/fullerene nanocomposites via dual modulation in oxidative stress and intestinal microbiome

Abstract

As a typical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) has become prevalent worldwide in recent years. Though several materials have been proved to be effective in reducing intestinal oxidative stress to alleviate UC symptoms, dependence on high doses of exogenous drugs amplifies their safety risk for patients. To address this challenge, an oral therapy based on colon-targeting delivery of low-dose rhamnolipid (RL)/fullerene (C₆₀) nanocomposites has been reported. With high biocompatibility being verified, RL/C₆₀ largely mitigated the inflammation of mice with colitis shortly after its oral administration. Not only this, but also the intestinal microbiome of diseased mice was remarkably restored to the near-healthy level by our composites. Specifically, RL/C₆₀ significantly promoted the colonization of intestinal probiotics and suppressed the biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria, which is beneficial for reshaping the intestinal barrier. A close relationship of cytokines and oxidoreductases levels with gut flora further revealed that a change in RL/C₆₀-induced intestinal microecology effectively improved the organismal immune system, which can be considered important for long-time recovery from UC.