Evaluation of the mesalazine-loaded nanoparticles-embedded BSA hydrogels for the ulcerative colitis treatment

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease mainly affecting the colon and remains a challenging disease to manage clinically with its relapsing-remitting course. Traditional treatments for this disease showed some drawbacks, including systemic toxicity and ineffective targeting of the affected colon areas. This article introduces a unique treatment method that uses mesalazine (MSZ)-loaded TPP/Chitosan nanoparticles (MSZNP)-embedded into bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogels (MSZNPH) for targeted intrarectal medication delivery. Additionally, conventional MSZ was integrated into BSA hydrogel (MSZH), and then, MSZH, MSZNP, and MSZNPH were characterized and compared with an emphasis on encapsulation efficiency, drug release profile, and hydrogel swelling behavior. Our findings show that MSZNPH composite technology may improve targeted administration and prolonged release of MSZ, indicating a promising new route for UC therapy with the potential to improve patient adherence and outcomes.