Adhesive thermosensitive polydopamine hydrogel containing Mn3O4 anchored halloysite clay for treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a common inflammatory bowel disease, causes ulcers of the colon and rectum. One of the important reasons for intestinal lesions caused by UC is that immune cells produce large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, we developed an adhesive thermosensitive polydopamine hydrogel containing Mn3O4 nanozyme anchored halloysite nanotubes (Mn3O4@HNTs@PDA) to remove ROS produced by immune cells and treatment of UC. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were used as support for the synthesis of Mn3O4 nanoparticles (∼10 nm diameter), which decreased the nanozyme size and increased the catalysis activity. Mn3O4@HNTs can simultaneously remove H2O2 and ·OH through the mutual reaction conversion between SOD-like and CAT-like enzymes. The PDA coating enables Mn3O4@HNTs to adhere well to the damaged mucosa of the inflamed colon, as an artificial mucosal barrier inhibits local oxidative stress. In the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mouse model, Mn3O4@HNTs@PDA hydrogel effectively transformed the local inflammatory microenvironment and restored intestinal barrier function by scavenging ROS through enzyme-like action, promoting the expression of intestinal mucosal junction proteins. Overall, this study provided a new dosing method to remove ROS by tissue adhesive hydrogel containing nanozyme modified clay mineral, which shows promising applications in clinic gastroenteritis treatment.