Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), has evolved into a global burden given its high incidence. There is a clinical need to create better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to UC.
Results: We fabricated P-selectin binding peptide-decorated poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PBP-PLGA-NP) doped with two lipophilic dyes, DiL and DiD. Meanwhile, two low-toxic anti-inflammatory natural products (betulinic acid [BA] and resveratrol [Res]) were co-loaded in the PBP-PLGA-NP system. The BA/Res-loaded NPs had an average size of around 164.18 nm with a negative zeta potential (- 25.46 mV). Entrapment efficiencies of BA and Res were 74.54% and 52.33%, respectively, and presented a sustained drug release profile. Further, the resulting PBP-PLGA-NP could be internalized by RAW 264.7 cells and Colon-26 cells efficiently in vitro and preferentially localized to the inflamed colon. When intravenously injected with luminol, MPO-dependent bioluminescence imaging to visualize tissue inflammation was activated by the bioluminescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (BRET-FRET) effect. Importantly, injected NPs could remarkably alleviate UC symptoms yet maintain intestinal microbiota homeostasis without inducing organ injuries in the mice models of colitis.
Conclusions: This theranostic nano-platform not only serves as a therapeutic system for UC but also as a non-invasive and highly-sensitive approach for accurately visualizing inflammation.
Keywords: Inflammation imaging; P-selectin; PLGA; Theranostic; Ulcerative colitis.
© 2022. The Author(s).