Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by mucosal inflammation of the colon, with increasing global incidence and substantial treatment-related challenges. Conventional therapies, including corticosteroids and biologics, are often associated with severe side effects, poor patient compliance, and limited efficacy in long-term disease management. To address the limitations, this study developed a novel sustained-release nanocapsule combining Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE) with the pH-sensitive enteric polymer Eudragit L-100 using solvent evaporation technique. Characterization with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) confirmed successful nanoencapsulation. The developed nanocapsule (MLEF) retained phenolic (328.57 μg/mL GAE) and flavonoid (127.14 μg/mL QE) content as determined using Total Polyphenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid content (TFC) assays, respectively. Both MLE and MLEF demonstrated anti-oxidant activity as determined using DPPH and ABTS assays. MTT assay in Caco-2 and RAW 264.7 cells proved the safety of MLEF and suggested the non-toxic concentrations for further in vitro studies. MLEF demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity with the significant (P < 0.001) suppression of TNF-α and IL-1β demonstrating comparable or enhanced in vitro anti-inflammatory activity relative to mesalamine under the tested conditions in both cell lines as quantified using ELISA. Further, in vitro drug release studies suggested sustained and targeted drug release of MLEF with maximum release of 86.3% at the UC pH (5.5), followed by 44% at intestinal pH (6.8), and least release of 20% at gastric pH (2.3). MLEF followed first order kinetics and the mechanism of drug release was Fickian diffusion. Thus, the current study offers a promising potential for development of a safer, targeted, efficient, and cost-effective therapeutics for UC.
Monika et al. (Tue,) studied this question.