Citation: Yu-Yang Bi, Ling-Feng Zhang, Qiu Chen, Ming-Yuan Yang, Lei Xing, Hu-Lin Jiang, Xian-Wu Cheng. A heterogeneity-modulated hydrogel for acute and chronic colitis therapy[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(8): 111836. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111836 shu

A heterogeneity-modulated hydrogel for acute and chronic colitis therapy

Yu-Yang Bi ^{a, b, 1} ,
Ling-Feng Zhang ^{b, 1} ,
Qiu Chen ^b ,
Ming-Yuan Yang ^b ,
Lei Xing ^b ,
Hu-Lin Jiang ^{a, b, c, d, *,} ,
Xian-Wu Cheng ^{a, *,}

a.
Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress and Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China
b.
State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
c.
Joint International Research Laboratory of Target Discovery and New Drug Innovation, MOE, Nanjing 210009, China
d.
Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, South Korea

jianghulin3@cpu.edu.cn

chengxw@ybu.edu.cn

Received Date: 2 July 2025
Revised Date: 11 September 2025
Accepted Date: 12 September 2025
Available Online: 13 September 2025

Figures(8)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exhibits pathological heterogeneity driven by multifactorial origins and patient variability, posing therapeutic challenges due to divergent immune microenvironment dynamics. Notably, neutrophils and macrophages showed prominent heterogeneity in IBD patients and underwent different reprogramming during the acute and chronic inflammatory phases. To address this pathological complexity, an orally administered TH@PVP-gel system integrating tanshinone IIA (Tan) and hemin (Hem) was engineered to address the heterogeneity of IBD pathology with the aim of achieving multi-targeted modulation of IBD. TH@PVP-gel specifically promoted neutrophil apoptosis and facilitated macrophage M2 polarization in the inflamed environment of the colon, targeting inflammatory heterogeneity and remodeling the inflammatory environment. In addition, the TH@PVP-gel efficiently scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibited the death of colonic epithelial cells, and restored the intestinal barrier. Ultimately, the TH@PVP-gel demonstrated excellent therapeutic efficacy in both acute and chronic colitis, providing a potential strategy for the broad-spectrum treatment of IBD.
- Inflammatory bowel disease,
- Oral drug delivery,
- Hydrogel,
- Neutrophils,
- Macrophages,
- Reactive oxygen species
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