Engineered prebiotic microcapsules Co-Encapsulating berberine and curcumin Elicit multi-synergistic therapy for ulcerative colitis

作者：Huanyu Li, C. Zhang, Ziwei Yang, Yifan Li, Dan Liu, Yanan Zhang, Yanan Zhang, L. Zhang, Ning Wang, Mingxin Zhang, Mingzhen Zhang, Zhaoxiang Yu, Xueyong Wei, Yujie Zhang, Yujie Zhang · 发表于：Materials Today Bio · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102778 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Berberine and alkaloids research、Curcumin's Biomedical Applications、Gut microbiota and health

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common type of inflammatory bowel disease, where the vicious cycle of inflammation and oxidative stress poses a major challenge in its treatment, and existing therapies have limitations. Berberine (BBR) and curcumin (CUR) have the potential for synergistic treatment of UC, but this potential has not been verified in UC. Additionally, both BBR and CUR suffer from poor water solubility and low bioavailability. This study aims to construct prebiotic microcapsules (BBR/CUR@MC) for the co-delivery of BBR and CUR and explore their therapeutic mechanism in UC. Network pharmacology was used to predict the targets and pathways of BBR and CUR in UC. BBR/CUR@MC was prepared using microfluidic electrospray technology, and its colon targeting and biocompatibility were evaluated through in vivo experiments. In a Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mouse model, the therapeutic effect was assessed using multiple indicators, and the mechanism of action was explored by transcriptome analysis. Network pharmacology showed that BBR and CUR can exert therapeutic effects on UC through synergistic regulation of TNF and AGE-RAGE signaling pathways. The successfully constructed BBR/CUR@MC had good colon targeting and biocompatibility. In the mouse colitis model, oral administration of BBR/CUR@MC inhibited ADAM17 in the TNF signaling pathway and MAPK11/13, COL4A1, and COL1A1 in the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, thereby downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF...