Figure 3.

Specific accumulation of nCUR nanotherapeutics in inflamed colons. (A) Representative ex vivo fluorescence images for the evaluation of nanoparticle distribution. C57BL/6 mice were given drinking water containing 3% DSS ad libitum to induce intestinal inflammation for 7 days. Mice with colitis were orally administered Cy5.5-labeled nCUR (termed Cy5.5-nCUR), and healthy mice were also included as controls. At 6 and 24 h postadministration, the major organs were excised for ex vivo NIR imaging. (B and C) Ex vivo imaging (B) and quantification of fluorescence intensities (C) of colons excised from each group of mice. Confocal microscopy images (D) and fluorescence intensities (E) of colorectal tissue sections harvested at 6 and 24 h after oral administration. The red and blue signals indicate Cy5.5 and nuclei counterstained with DAPI, respectively. The data are presented as the mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, **p <0.01, and ***p < 0.001, as determined by two-way ANOVAfollowed by Bonferroni's post hoc test.