Advanced engineering of microbiome-related therapeutics for targeted treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine arising from complex interactions among genetic and environmental factors, intestinal barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Current therapies for IBD-including anti-inflammatory agents, immunosuppressants, and targeted biologics-remain challenging, as they often cause long-term adverse effects and fail to address the underlying pathological mechanisms. Given these challenges, nano- and bioengineering of microbiome-related therapeutics-including microbial-derived metabolites, probiotics, and prebiotic natural products-has emerged as a promising strategy, offering high biocompatibility and the ability to modulate key disease drivers such as immune responses, barrier restoration, redox balance, and microbiota composition. In this review, we examine the major pathological features of IBD and present engineered microbiome-related platforms designed to overcome the limitations of conventional compounds-such as poor solubility, low bioavailability, rapid degradation or absorption, low probiotic viability, and insufficient accumulation at target sites-while highlighting their therapeutic efficacy in IBD management. Finally, we outline future directions for developing these advanced delivery systems toward more effective and potentially disease-modifying treatments.