Mucus Penetrating Nanoparticles Improve Drug and Gene Delivery to the Gastrointestinal Tract

We have previously shown that mucus penetrating nanoparticles (MPP) have improved distribution and retention in the cervicovaginal tract. Here, we demonstrate that nanoparticles that rapidly penetrate gastrointestinal (GI) mucus are also able to enhance gastrointestinal delivery. MPP have improved distri-bution on healthy and ulcerative colitis (UC) colo-rectal tissues, and more evenly coat the epithelial surface of the small intestine after oral administra-tion compared to conventional mucoadhesive nano-particles (CP). MPP have the potential to significant-ly improve drug delivery to the GI tract, leading to better treatments of GI tract diseases and systemic absorption of drugs.