Schematic diagram of the preparation of SA/HA/ES hydrogel microspheres loaded with phages (HMs-Phages) and therapeutic application in a mouse model of Salmonella Typhimurium-induced colitis. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

A research team led by professor Li Jinquan from the College of Biomedicine & Health at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) has published a study in Nature Communications titled, "In situ gut microbiota editing: Enhancing therapeutic efficacy for bacterial colitis by compatible oral hydrogel microspheres with phages". The paper introduces a novel strategy for precisely editing the gut microbiota to maintain intestinal homeostasis.

Disruption of the gut microbiota balance by pathogens often leads to conditions like diarrhea, intestinal inflammation, and metabolic disorders. Traditional reliance on antibiotics exacerbates this imbalance by causing widespread loss of beneficial commensal bacteria. To overcome this, the HZAU team proposed precise gut microbiota editing, aiming to selectively regulate specific microbial populations for targeted pathogen clearance and accurate reconstruction of the gut microecology.

Bacteriophages, or phages, offer a solution by achieving directional therapy — selectively eliminating pathogens without disturbing the overall structure of the intestinal microecology. However, effective oral delivery of phages presents significant challenges.

The team successfully engineered the first highly efficient oral delivery platform for phages. This system is capable of precisely reducing the population of key intestinal model pathogens, such as Salmonella, while effectively avoiding adverse effects on beneficial probiotics and commensal bacteria.