pH-sensitive liposomes for colonic Co-delivery of mesalazine and curcumin for the treatment of ulcerative colitis

The incompetence of the current management of ulcerative colitis (UC) demands novel pharmaceutical techniques and advance therapeutic strategies to facilitate safe and efficacious treatment of the disease. In this quest, mesalazine, a 5-aminosalicylate with anti-inflammatory and potent antioxidant activities, along with curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant polyphenol, were found to produce a synergistic efficacy to efficiently alleviate UC. In the current research, we have formulated pH-sensitive liposomes containing a low-dose combination of mesalazine and curcumin as a potential therapy for UC. It was hypothesized that the synergistic action of the two drugs, pH-dependent colon-specific delivery, and use of liposomes as a nano-technological drug carrier system would diminish drug-associated side effects, reduce the total administration dose, and provide efficacious and instant relief from UC. The hypothesis was validated using guinea pig model of mild-moderate UC, where pH-sensitive MZ-CM co-loaded liposomes were found to be more efficacious than single-drug liposomes or drug's solution form. Furthermore, both drugs exhibited high antioxidant activity and mitigated the oxidative stress present along UC; hence, prompted an instantaneous treatment of UC. We, therefore, validate that eudragit-S100 coated MZ-CM liposomes is a promising therapy that needs to be developed as a marketed product for the treatment of UC.