Leveraging dietary fiber’s natural physiology: from dietary insights to nanoscale IBD intervention

The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is rising worldwide. Among various potential contributors, low dietary fiber (DF) diet habit stands out as a substantial factor in this accelerating trend. Conversely, DF supplementation inhibits the manifestation of IBD pathology and promotes inflammatory remission. It's reported that DF plays a beneficial role in maintaining intestinal health in a variety of ways, including regulating the structure of the intestinal flora, promoting the production of beneficial metabolites, improving intestinal barrier function, modulating immune homeostasis, and so on. Given the inherent physiological benefits, as well as the natural targeting ability of DF to the colon, DF-derived nanoparticles (DF-NPs) have been extensively explored in the treatment of IBD through the integration of bioactives or drugs. In this comprehensive review, we initiate a discussion of common beneficial DFs and their physiological mechanisms for alleviating IBD. On this basis, we elaborate on the targeted drug delivery strategies and interventional approaches developed using DF-NPs, along with their associated clinical challenges. This investigative effort is crucial for understanding and leveraging DF-derived management strategies and fostering their potential to contribute positively to intestinal health and life quality.