Amphiphilic Celecoxib-Polysaccharide Delivery System for Enhanced Colon-Targeted Colitis Therapy

<b>Background</b>: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a subtype of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is primarily treated with oral medications to reduce inflammation and alleviate symptoms. Celecoxib (CXB) is an attractive candidate for UC; however, its limited solubility and low bioavailability pose significant challenges to its clinical application. <b>Methods</b>: We reported a novel chondroitin sulfate A-Celecoxib (CSA-CXB) polymeric nanoprodrug to address the limited solubility and low bioavailability of CXB. CXB was conjugated to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) via succinic anhydride (SA) and ethylenediamine to prepare CSA-CXB polymers, which can self-assemble into nanoparticle structural prodrugs in aqueous condition. We investigated the stability, blood compatibility, and responsiveness of the nanoparticles. The ability of the nanoparticles to treat UC in vitro and in vivo was then evaluated. <b>Results</b>: The CSA-CXB nanoprodrug was spherical with a mean particle size of 188.4 ± 2.2 nm, a zeta potential of -22.9 ± 0.1 mV, and sustained drug release behavior. Furthermore, CSA-CXB exhibited remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as it can significantly increase the free radical scavenging rate and reduce the expression level of ROS, TNF-α, IL-6, nitric oxide (NO), and COX-2 protein in vitro. In vivo results demonstrated that CSA-CXB targeted the mice's colon efficiently mitigate UC symptoms by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokine. <b>Conclusions</b>: The CSA-CXB nanoprodrug can improve the therapeutic impact of CXB, and has potential as a new preparation for a clinical UC treatment nanoprodrug.