On September 4, a research team led by Professor Lee Dong-yun from the Department of Bioengineering at Hanyang University announced that they have developed an oral nanomedicine platform for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).

IBD, which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a chronic and intractable disorder that causes abdominal pain, bloody stool, and weight loss, significantly diminishing patients' quality of life. However, existing drugs such as 5-aminosalicylic acid(5-ASA), steroids, and anti-TNF-α antibodies have shown limitations, including systemic side effects, low drug delivery efficiency, and high costs. A persistent issue has also been the poor targeting of inflammatory lesions, which reduces treatment effectiveness.

To address these challenges, the 토토사이트 번호 차단 team chemically combined chitosan oligosaccharide(COS) with glycyrrhizin (GL), the key active compound in licorice, to develop self-assembling nanoparticles(COS-GL) that adhere to the intestinal mucosa and act selectively on inflamed sites.

The COS-GL nanoparticles were designed with an average diameter of approximately 129 nm. Leveraging the high solubility, antioxidant properties, and mucosal adhesion of chitosan oligosaccharide, the nanoparticles were made to remain longer in inflamed regions. By conjugating glycyrrhizin, the system achieved improved stability in vivo and enhanced targeting capability. In cell and intestine organoid experiments, the nanoparticles effectively removed reactive oxygen species(ROS), promoted the restoration of intestinal barrier proteins, and induced an anti-inflammatory(M2) polarization of macrophages.

In a mouse model of IBD, oral administration of COS-GL led to weight recovery, increased survival rates, preservation of colon length, and improvements in 토토사이트 번호 차단 markers, showing superior performance compared to existing treatments. Notably, COS-GL also restored the intestinal mucus layer, suppressed 토토사이트 번호 차단 cell infiltration, and reduced pro-토토사이트 번호 차단 cytokine expression.

Professor Lee emphasized, "COS-GL nanoparticles act locally at inflammatory sites while maintaining stability in the other parts of our body, thereby maximizing therapeutic efficiency and minimizing side effects. This not only presents a breakthrough in IBD medicine development but also holds strong potential for application in other chronic inflammatory diseases."

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF), the Korea Fund for Regenerative Medicine (KFRM), and the TIPS Program by the Ministry of SMEs(Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and Startups(MSS). The results were published on September 2 in the international journal ACS Nano. The paper, titled Mucoadhesive and Self-Assembled Chitosan Oligosaccharide-Glycyrrhizin Nanoparticle for Oral Nanotherapeutic in 토토사이트 번호 차단 Bowel Disease, lists Lim Ga-young(Master's program, Hanyang University), Yoo Chae-rim(Master-Doctorate Integrated Course Student, Hanyang University), and Professor Kim Ha-rin(Kookmin University) as co-first authors, with Professor Lee Dong-yun as the corresponding author.