- Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—two chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract— affect at least 3 million people in the United States.
- Researchers in China have devised a microgel delivery system that can help boost the effect of probiotics in the gut while eliminating bad gut bacteria in people with Crohn’s and colitis.
- Using a mouse model, the scientists found that treated mice did not show damaged intestinal barriers or shortened colons, which are common symptoms of colitis.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. An estimated 3 million people in the U.S.
Research indicates a link between IBD and an imbalance of bacteria in the GI tract. This imbalance allows harmful bacteria to overrun the colon, reducing levels of potentially beneficial bacteria, and is thought to affect the intestinal barrier function and immune responses.
Immunosuppressants have long been the first line of defense in treatment. However, these medications are expensive and non-selective and are associated with a number of other undesirable side effects.
Experts have also explored the use of probiotics to improve IBD symptoms. However, it is challenging to deliver these bacteria to the site in the intestine where they are needed when taking them orally, due to the different, potentially bactericidal environments in the stomach and other parts of the digestive system.
Scientists at Zhengzhou University in China recently developed a probiotic-containing gel that can be taken orally, designed to shield the beneficial bacteria and disarm the bad.
Their research article covers these findings in ACS Central Science.
Immunosuppressants have been the go-to medication for IBD, but they are known to cause severe side effects, including lowering the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Further, high costs keep…
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