The Construction Strategy of Curcumin Nanomedicine Delivery System and Its Application in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with a continuously increasing incidence worldwide. The existing treatment options are limited due to low drug bioavailability and systemic side effects. Natural products, such as curcumin, have emerged as potential effective drugs for UC treatment due to their multi-target and multi-mechanism therapeutic advantages. However, the clinical trial and experimental research results of curcumin show a contrast due to its own physicochemical limitations (low solubility, low bioavailability, etc). gastrointestinal digestion factors (pH, digestive enzymes, etc). and the combined limitations of the colonic intestinal barrier (intestinal flora, mucus barrier, intestinal epithelial barrier, etc). The clinical translation is thus hindered. The Nano-Drug Delivery System (NDDS) uses size control, surface functionalization, and intelligent stimulus-responsive design to transform the factors that limit curcumin absorption and utilization into delivery targets, constructing pH-dependent, gut flora-dependent, receptor-dependent, etc. NDDS, achieving improved drug solubility, enhanced absorption, controlled release, and targeted delivery, significantly enhancing the therapeutic effect of curcumin for UC. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of UC and uniquely systematically analyzes the construction logic of natural product NDDS from the perspective of the above biological barriers, clarifying the applicable scenarios and core advantages of various strategies. At the same time, this article also discusses the key challenges faced by the clinical translation of NDDS, including the toxicity risk caused by enhanced drug absorption, the safety of the carrier itself, and the transformation obstacles caused by species receptor spectrum differences etc. as well as an important point to recognize is that there is still a considerable distance to the clinical translation of NDDS. In summary, NDDS brings broad prospects for the clinical application of natural products, but the current research level is far from meeting the needs of clinical translation. Future design must deeply align with the pathological characteristics of UC to promote its transition from the laboratory to clinical application.