Nanoparticles Effective in Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Newly developed nanoparticles show promise in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during a recent study.

Researchers developed the nanoparticles to reduce the expression of CD98, a cell-surface glycoprotein that promotes inflammation.

During the study, researchers were able to form the nanoparticles by combining CD98 siRNA (small interfering RNA) with urocanic acid-modified chitosan (UAC), which inhibits CD98 expression in macrophages.

The results of the study, published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, found that the nanoparticles had an anti-inflammatory effect on the macrophages.

“Our results suggest this nanoparticle could potentially be used as an efficient therapeutic treatment for inflammation,” said researcher Didier Merlin. “We targeted CD98 because we determined in a previous study that CD98 is highly over-expressed in activated immune cells involved in IBD.”

The study revealed the desirability of nanoparticles because of their size and lack of toxicity against macrophages and colon epithelial cells.