Anti-inflammatory nanoparticles mimic glycocalyx in IBD patients

Cases of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are on the rise worldwide. The benefits of current medications to treat patients with these diseases are limited by problematic side effects. In the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a South Korean research team has now introduced a new method of treatment based on nanoparticles that mimic a special carbohydrate layer (glycocalyx) located on inflamed bowel cells. These particles trigger anti-inflammatory effects in the diseased sites in the intestine.