Curcumin-Loaded Microspheres Are Effective in Preventing Oxidative Stress and Intestinal Inflammatory Abnormalities in Experimental Ulcerative Colitis in Rats

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 17; p. 5680
• Main Authors: Hales, Dana, Muntean, Dana-Maria, Neag, Maria Adriana, Kiss, Béla, tefan, Maria-Georgia, Tefas, Lucia Ruxandra, Tomu??, Ioan, Ses?rman, Alina, Ra?iu, Ioana-Adela, Porfire, Alina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Acetic acid; Animal models; Antioxidants; Aqueous solutions; Biomarkers; Catalase; Colon; colon-specific delivery; Curcumin; Disease control; Disease prevention; Drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Enzymes; Eudragit® FS; Health aspects; Homeostasis; Inflammation; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Metabolites; microparticles; Microspheres; Nitrites; Oxidative stress; Pathogenesis; Plasma; Prednisolone; Prevention; Remission; Sodium salts; Turmeric; Ulcerative colitis; Romania
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175680

Curcumin’s role in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been proven by numerous studies, but its preventive administration, with the aim of reducing the remission episodes that are characteristic of this disease, must be further investigated. This study investigates the effects of a novel curcumin-loaded polymeric microparticulate oral-drug-delivery system for colon targeting (Col-CUR-MPs) in an experimental model of UC. Male Wistar rats (n = 40) were divided into five groups (n = 8), which were treated daily by oral gavage for seven days with a 2% aqueous solution of carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt (CMCNa) (healthy and disease control), free curcumin powder (reference), Col-CUR-MPs (test) and prednisolone (reference) prior to UC induction by the intrarectal administration of acetic acid (AA), followed by animal sacrification and blood and colonic samples’ collection on the eighth day. Col-CUR-MPs exhibited an important preventive effect in the severity degree of oxidative stress that resulted following AA intrarectal administration, which was proved by the highest catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels and the lowest nitrites/nitrates (NOx), total oxidative status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) levels. Biochemical parameter analysis was supported by histopathological assessment, confirming the significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of this novel colon-specific delivery system in AA-induced rat models of UC. Thus, this study offers encouraging perspectives regarding the preventive administration of curcumin in the form of a drug delivery system for colon targeting.