Multifunctional systems based on polysaccharides for colon-specific release of post-biotics and their potential for application in the treatment and prevention of inflammatory bowel diseases

• Grant number: 22/14075-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Marlus Chorilli
• Grantee: Suzana Gonçalves Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is a set of autoimmune diseases that cause intestinal inflammation and whose main entities are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. As an imbalance in the gut microbiome can lead to the development of various intestinal diseases, the use of prebiotics, probiotics, and post-biotics to alter the gut microbiome has aroused recent interest. Postbiotics include any substance released or produced by the metabolic activity of microorganisms, which exerts a beneficial effect on the host, directly or indirectly, and may include many different constituents, in which short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) stand out due to their excellent biological properties in combating prevalent intestinal diseases, however, SCFAs are low molecular weight compounds that have limited clinical use due to unfavorable pharmacokinetics, non-selective pharmacological action, low palatability and unpleasant odor, the development of colonic delivery systems -specific, however, may favor the local selective pharmacological action of these actives, improving their therapeutic efficacy. The association of strategies, such as the development of polymeric nanocapsules with mucoadhesive capacity and their incorporation into polymeric microparticles based on polysaccharides, aiming at protecting the system from the variable conditions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) represents a promising technological platform for colon-specific release. of post-biotics. The present project aims to develop hyaluronic acid nanocapsules containing SCFAs by the emulsification method and incorporate them into microparticles based on retrograded starch and pectin. The systems will be characterized and their performance will be evaluated through release studies, in vitro biological assays using 2D and 3D cell models, as well as in vivo analyses from an animal model. The vectorization of post-biotics for colon-specific action is an unprecedented study. (AU)