Orally Deliverable Iron‐Ceria Nanotablets for Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

AbstractCeria‐based nanoparticles are versatile in treating various inflammatory diseases, but their feasibility in clinical translation is undermined by safety concerns and a limited delivery system. Meanwhile, the idiopathic nature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) calls for a wider variety of therapeutics via moderation of the intestinal immune system. In this regard, the synthesis and oral formulation of iron‐ceria nanoparticles (CF NPs) with enhanced nanozymic activity and lower toxicity risk than conventional ceria‐based nanoparticles are reported. CF NPs are clustered in calcium phosphate (CaP) and coated with a pH‐responsive polymer to provide the enteric formulation of iron‐ceria nanotablets (CFNT). CFNT exhibits a marked alleviative efficacy in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced enterocolitis model in vivo by modulating the pro‐inflammatory behavior of innate immune cells including macrophages and neutrophils, promoting anti‐inflammatory cytokine profiles, and downregulating key transcription factors of inflammatory pathways.