Engineered Liver-Targeted Probiotic Nanovesicles Overcome Oral Absorption Barriers to Cure Alcoholic Liver Disease

Strategic Insights -

A breakthrough in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has been achieved by Dalian Polytechnic University researchers, who have designed a novel galactosamine-modified probiotic vesicle delivery strategy to overcome drug penetration barriers in ALD. This innovative approach collaborates with fucoxanthin (FX)-mediated lipid-lowering therapy to improve alcohol-induced lipid metabolism disorders. The research team used a combination of in vitro and in vivo studies to validate the efficacy of their strategy, which showed promising results in alleviating hepatic steatosis and lipid dysregulation in ALD mouse models.

Key Takeaways:

  • The novel galactosamine-modified probiotic vesicle delivery strategy, Gal-FX-SEVs, was designed to overcome oral drug delivery barriers in ALD, with an encapsulation efficiency of 84.81% and improved water solubility of FX.
  • The system exhibited strong tolerance to gastrointestinal fluids and increased the in vitro bioaccessibility of FX to 65.77%.
  • In the HepG2 cell model, Gal-FX-SEVs achieved a 2.52-fold higher uptake by specifically targeting the asialoglycoprotein receptor.
  • The system effectively alleviated the reduction in biochemical markers of liver function (ALB, BUN, CYP450, and Cr) induced by alcohol-induced damage in the alcoholic fatty liver-on-chips.
  • In vivo validation showed that oral administration of Gal-FX-SEVs could cross the intestinal mucosa, enter the bloodstream, and selectively accumulate in the liver.
  • Mechanistically, Gal-FX-SEVs alleviated hepatic steatosis and lipid dysregulation in ALD mouse models by suppressing the mTORC1-S6K1-SREBP-1 axis.

Statistics:

  • 84.81% encapsulation efficiency of FX in the nanovesicle delivery system derived from Lactobacillus plantarum Lp90 (Gal-FX-SEVs)
  • 65.77% in vitro bioaccessibility of FX in the Gal-FX-SEVs system
  • 2.52-fold higher uptake of Gal-FX-SEVs in the HepG2 cell model
  • 8.28% reduction in ALB in the alcoholic fatty liver-on-chips
  • 4.24% reduction in BUN in the alcoholic fatty liver-on-chips
  • 34.58% reduction in CYP450 in the alcoholic fatty liver-on-chips
  • 10.25% reduction in Cr in the alcoholic fatty liver-on-chips

Sources:

  • "Engineered Liver-targeted Probiotic Nanovesicles Overcome Oral Absorption Barriers To Cure Alcoholic Liver Disease." Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025;522.
  • NewsRx. Findings from Dalian Polytechnic University Provides New Data on Alcoholic Liver Disease (Engineered Liver-targeted Probiotic Nanovesicles Overcome Oral Absorption Barriers To Cure Alcoholic Liver Disease). Journal of Engineering. October 20, 2025; p 622.