Biodegradable nanoparticles help patients suffering colitis

A nano-sized medicine was produced and tested by the Iranian researchers at Tehran University of Medical Sciences which can control and help the treatment of bowel inflammation.The particles can be presented in the form of pills or capsules (with a bowel coating), and they can be used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after the clinical studies.Decreasing the required dosage of the medicine, decreasing the changes in blood concentration, improvement of biological availability through swallowing, and increasing the pharmacological effects of the medicine in the target tissue are among the most important characteristics of these nanoparticles that make them appropriate systems to carry biological products, peptides, and proteins.Since swallowing is the most common method to take medicine, the adsorption of some of medicines can be increased through digestive tract by using mucoadhesive systems. On the other hand, the use of PLGA polymer prevents the interaction between nanoparticles with inflammatory tissues or other polymeric residues in the body due to its biocompatibility and degradability.The researchers firstly extracted probiotic extract and used it in the production of PLGA polymeric nanoparticles. Then they studied the effects of the product in the treatment of colitis in animal samples by using biodegradable mucoadhesive coating on the produced nanoparticles and giving them to animals.Results confirmed the positive effect of lyophilized probiotic extract (LPE) extracted from L. casei bacterium in the treatment of IBD. In addition to having nanoparticle properties, the drug delivery system used in this research can increase the residence time of hydrophilic extract in mucous membranes and the target tissue due to its mucoadhesive characteristic. It can be used as a carrier specialized for edible medicineThe nanoproduct was non-toxic because the extract was biologic and the polymers were biocompatible.Results of the research have been published in October 2012 in Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 26, issue 5, pp. 589-598.