ACS applied materials & interfacesJan 30, 2026

Hydrogel Microspheres Designed to Adapt in the Gut for Efficient Probiotic Delivery and Targeted Release

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

Hydrogel microspheres made from gellan gum and β-glucan-tannic acid demonstrated superior probiotic delivery and gut inflammation alleviation in colitis mice.

Microspheres were designed to protect probiotics from harsh digestive conditions.
The new hydrogel structure maintained integrity at low pH and disassembled in the gut.
Probiotic colonization in the colon was promoted by the new hydrogel microspheres.
In a colitis mouse model, the new microspheres showed superior therapeutic effects compared to other treatments.
The system facilitated probiotic-prebiotic synergy, leading to significant improvements in gut inflammation and microbiota balance.

Simplified

Oral administration of probiotics holds great promise for regulating gut microbiota and maintaining intestinal homeostasis. However, its practical effectiveness can be limited due to the digestive tract's harsh environment. Natural polysaccharide-based hydrogel microsphere systems are increasingly used for probiotic protection and oral delivery; the conventional materials used in these systems exhibit defects such as poor structural strength and instability in gelation, causing premature probiotic release. Here, we created hydrogel microspheres with gut-adaptive structures (GG/GN-TA HMs) using gellan gum (GG) as the backbone and β-glucan-tannic acid (GN-TA) as the antioxidative, adhesive, and gut-targeting prebiotic donor, involving structural enhancement via TA-Cametal-phenol networks during cross-linking. The structurally optimized microspheres exhibited excellent structural integrity at low pH conditions while disassembling in the gut environment to release probiotics. Such advantages of GG/GN-TA HMs enabled the survival of probiotics in harsh environments and subsequent promotion of probiotic colonization in the colon. In colitis mice, EcN@GG/GN-TA exhibited superior therapeutic effects compared to those of other groups. GG/GN-TA HMs promoted probiotic-prebiotic synergy, which resulted in significant alleviation of gut inflammation, gut barrier repair, and gut microbiota remodeling. Given its simple preparation and efficacy, the GG/GN-TA HMs system has great potential for the protection and targeted delivery of probiotics. 2+

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Hydrogel Microspheres Designed to Adapt in the Gut for Efficient Probiotic Delivery and Targeted Release

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