Micro-ecology restoration of colonic inflammation by in-Situ oral delivery of antibody-laden hydrogel microcapsules

In-situ oral delivery of therapeutic antibodies, like monoclonal antibody, for chronic inflammation treatment is the most convenient approach compared with other administration routes. Moreover, the abundant links between the gut microbiota and colonic inflammation indicate that the synergistic or antagonistic effect of gut microbiota to colonic inflammation. However, the antibody activity would be significantly affected while transferring through the gastrointestinal tract due to hostile conditions. Moreover, these antibodies have short serum half-lives, thus, require to be frequently administered with high doses to be effective, leading to low patient tolerance. Here, we develop a strategy utilizing thin shell hydrogel microcapsule fabricated by microfluidic technique as the oral delivering carrier. By encapsulating antibodies in these microcapsules, antibodies survive in the hostile gastrointestinal environment and rapidly release into the small intestine through oral administration mute, achieving the same therapeutic effect as the intravenous injection evaluated by a colonic inflammation disease model. Moreover, the abundance of some intestinal microorganisms as the indication of the improvement of inflammation has remarkably altered after in-situ antibody-laden microcapsules delivery, implying the restoration of micro-ecology of the intestine. These findings prove our microcapsules are exploited as an efficient oral delivery agent for antibodies with programmable function in clinical application.

Automated summary

In-situ oral delivery of therapeutic antibodies is a convenient approach for chronic inflammation treatment. By using microcapsules as oral carriers, antibodies can survive in the gastrointestinal tract and achieve the same therapeutic effect as intravenous injection. The alteration of intestinal microorganism abundance after oral antibody-laden microcapsules delivery suggests the restoration of intestinal microecology.