Encapsulation of mesalazine and exosome with microfluidic-based system for the treatment of ulcerative colitis

This thesis aimed to develop an orally administered drug delivery system to reduce inflammation and increase regeneration in ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum. For this purpose, mesalazine, a chemically active ingredient known to have topical anti-inflammatory effects especially on colonic epithelial cells, and exosomes (hWJ-MKH exo) obtained from human umbilical cord connective tissue (Wharton jelly) stem cells, known to have tissue regeneration and repair capacities, were encapsulated separately and in combination with a water-in-oil emulsion system created using a new system called droplet microfluidic method and were filled into enteric-coated capsules and lyophilized for targeting to the colon. Characterization studies were carried out for the prepared system and for the mesalazine and exosomes in it. For mesalazine, an analytical method development and validation studies were conducted using UPLC, for exosomes that during and after their obtaining procedures and after its formulation TEM, SEM image studies, and cellular uptake analyses were performed, and for enteric capsules release studies were conducted. Toxicity studies of the enteric capsule content forming by lyophilized oil-water emulsion and its forms containing mesalazine and exosome were investigated by MTT analysis method.