RESUMO
Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of artemisinin (ART) encapsulated by β-lactoglobulin (BLG) nanoparticles on Winnie spontaneous ulcerative colitis mouse model. Methods BLG-ART nanoparticles were prepared and their effects on the solubility and stability of ART were evaluated. A mouse model of colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to compare the therapeutic effects of artemisinin (ART) administered by direct gavage and artemisinin encapsulated by β-lactoglobulin nanoparticles (BLG-ART) administered by gavage. Winnie mice were randomly divided into blank group, ART group and BLG-ART group. Mice in the ART group were given 50 mg/kg ART by gavage; mice in the BLG-ART group were given the same dose of BLG-ART nanoparticle PBS dispersion by gavage; mice in the blank group were given the same amount of PBS by gavage, for 16 days. The body mass and disease activity index (DAI) of each group of mice were measured. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of mouse intestinal tissue, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-10 and IL-17 in mouse colon tissue. Results Compared with the ART group and the blank group, the body mass of the BLG-ART group increased and the DAI decreased after 16-day treatment; the crypt structure of the proximal and distal colon regions of the mice recovered; goblet cell loss decreased; neutrophil infiltration decreased and the mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were significantly down-regulated. Conclusion ART-BLG can alleviate intestinal inflammation in spontaneous ulcerative colitis mice.