Fereshteh Asgharzadeh - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Alireza Hashemzadeh - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Moein Eskandari - Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Atieh Yaghoubi - Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Niloufar Naghibzadeh - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Asma Mostafapour - Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Seyedeh Elnaz Nazari - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Ghazaleh Khalili-Tanha - Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Ayda Bakhshi - Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
saman soleimanpour - Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Amir Avan - Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Seyed Mahdi Hasanian - Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Majid Rezaei - Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Majid Khazaei - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Objective(s): Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic large intestinal condition, for treatment and prevention of which sulfasalazine (SSZ) is used. It functions by helping to reduce inflammation and other disease symptoms within the bowels, but this drug has many side effects. Various novel paths for UC treatment are being studied to solve the difficulties associated with present treatments and to design a more targeted therapy. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAP-NPs) form an inorganic portion of the natural bone and are primarily used in tissue engineering due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-toxicity character. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory character of sulfasalazine-containing HAP (SSZ-HAP-NPs) as a potential therapeutic agent.Materials and Methods: The therapeutic efficacy of SSZ-HAP-NPs compared with SSZ as a standard drug was examined in a mouse model of colitis by induction of DSS for ۷ days. Drugs were given on the third day and continued for seven days. Colonic mucosal inflammation was evaluated clinically, biochemically, and histologically.Results: Our results showed that SSZ-HAP-NPs clinically improved signs/symptoms more than SSZ, however, it was not statistically significant (P>۰.۰۵). Also, SSZ-HAP-NPs diminished histopathological evidence of injury, by decreasing inflammatory responses and balancing oxidative/anti-oxidative markers in colonic tissues (P>۰.۰۵). Conclusion: SSZ-HAP-NPs could be more effective than SSZ as standard drug in some laboratory and clinical signs/symptoms and side effects in colitis and this could be a good strategy for future studies to use nanoparticles with more anti-inflammatory effects to develop the efficiency of standard drugs in colitis treatment.

Colitis, Hydroxyapatite, Inflammation, Nanoparticles