Nanoparticle Therapies for Ulcerative Colitis Management

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colon characterized by relapsing mucosal inflammation, epithelial barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Although conventional therapies, including corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics, remain central to disease management, their clinical utility is often limited by systemic toxicity, variable patient response and high relapse rates. In recent years, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations by enabling targeted drug delivery, enhanced mucosal penetration and controlled release within inflamed colonic tissues. Beyond improving pharmacokinetics and local drug accumulation, emerging evidence suggests that nanoparticle-based therapies exert indirect yet significant effects on post-treatment gut microbiota composition. By attenuating oxidative stress, suppressing excessive immune activation and restoring epithelial barrier integrity, nanotherapeutic platforms contribute to the re-establishment of microbial homeostasis, which is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of sustained remission in UC. This review provides a comprehensive overview of UC pathophysiology, with emphasis on gut microbiota dysregulation and recent advances in nanoparticle-based therapeutic approaches, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, protein-based nanoparticles, nanogels, nanozymes and biomimetic delivery systems. We further critically analyze the advantages and limitations of major nanocarrier platforms and highlight emerging microbiota-modulating nanomedicine strategies that integrate immunoregulation with microbial restoration.