A metal-polyphenol network coated BUT-16 system for effective delivery of puerarin and alleviation of deoxynivalenol-induced intestinal injury

• A TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 material was prepared as the PUE controlled-release system. • TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 could efficiently alleviate DON-induced intestinal tract toxicity. • A new “reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency” delivery strategy was constructed. Deoxynivalenol (DON) can induce serious intestinal injury, posing a threat to the body. It’s still a great challenge to establish an effective technique for effective prevention of DON-induced intestinal toxicity. Puerarin (PUE) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which help maintain intestinal health. In this study, an intestine delivery system TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 was employed as a detoxification agent to safeguard against DON-induced intestinal injury. The PUE loading capacity on TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 was 24.6%. In vitro experiment, TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 could release 73.3% PUE under the condition of simulating the status of oral administration in 24 h, and BUT-16 could adsorb 64.8% of DON in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), suggesting the dual functions of TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16. In vivo experiment, TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 (100 mg/kg body weight [B.W.]) alleviated DON-induced (3.5 mg/kg B.W.) inhibition of intestinal barrier function. Furthermore, TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 also ameliorated DON-inflicted oxidative stress (T-AOC, MDA, SOD, CAT) and inflammatory response (TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10) in mice. Meanwhile, TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 could restore DON-induced imbalance in the gut microbiota of mice. Overall, TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 has the potential to serve as a PUE delivery system, enabling its utilization in the nutritional intervention of DON-induced intestinal damage and preventing high-concentration exposure of DON in the intestine. TA-Fe@PUE/BUT-16 could achieve a dual detoxification effect of “reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency” in DON-induced intestinal injury, which may provide new insight into the design of natural product delivery technology.