# Large Yellow Croaker Roe Protein Isolates/Gellan Gum Hydrogels Improve the Alleviating Effect of Curcumin on DSS-Induced Colitis

## TL;DR

A new hydrogel made from fish protein and gellan gum improves curcumin's ability to treat colitis in mice.

## Contribution

A novel fish protein/gellan gum hydrogel is developed to enhance curcumin delivery for colitis treatment.

## Key findings

- PG-Cur treatment reduced weight loss and colon shortening in DSS-induced colitis mice.
- PG-Cur lowered MPO and iNOS activities compared to free curcumin.
- PG-Cur restored gut microbiota balance by enriching beneficial and reducing harmful bacteria.

## Abstract

In this study, large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) protein isolates/gellan gum (PG) binary hydrogels with dense microstructure were used for embedding and delivery curcumin (Cur). The colitis-relieving effects of PG-Cur were further investigated using the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse model. Following PG-Cur treatment, weight loss, diarrhea, and shortening of the colon were significantly alleviated. Compared with the free Cur group, weight loss and colon length in the PG-Cur group increased about 1.05- and 1.12-fold. IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 levels in PG-Cur group were not significantly different from those of the normal mice, and the MPO and iNOS activities of the PG-Cur group were 29% and 20% lower than those in the Cur group, respectively. Moreover, fecal microbiota analysis of mice revealed that PG-Cur effectively restored gut dysbiosis in DSS-induced colitis, enriching beneficial bacteria while reducing harmful ones. Overall, the PG hydrogels have the potential to serve as carriers for oral curcumin formulations aimed at alleviating UC.