Yang-Chen LinYa-Jyun LiangChun-Hong ZhangLi-Jia LiuLin, Feng-HueiFeng-HueiLin2024-08-232024-08-232024-07-10https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85199782820&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/720346Oxidative stress resulting from reactive oxygen species (ROS) is often considered to be the leading cause of interstitial cystitis (IC), which is a chronic inflammatory disease. Antioxidants have been proven to have promising therapeutic effects on IC. In this study, we present an antioxidant intervention for IC by introducing curcumin-loaded cerium oxide nanoparticles (Cur-CONPs). Recognizing oxidative stress as the primary contributor to IC, our research builds on previous work utilizing cerium oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) for their outstanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, given the need to effectively relieve acute inflammation, we engineered Cur-CONPs to harness the short-term radical-scavenging antioxidant prowess of curcumin. Through in vitro studies, we demonstrate that the Cur-CONPs exhibit not only robust antioxidant capabilities but also superior anti-inflammatory properties over CONPs alone. Furthermore, in vivo studies validate the therapeutic effects of Cur-CONPs on IC. Mice with IC subjected to the Cur-CONP treatment exhibited improved micturition behaviors, relief from pelvic pain sensitivity, and reduced expression of inflammatory proteins (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, Cox2). These findings suggest that the synergistic antioxidant properties of the Cur-CONPs that combine the sustained antioxidant properties of CONPs and acute anti-inflammatory capabilities of curcumin hold promise as a novel treatment strategy for IC.trueantioxidantsdrug deliveryinflammationinterstitial cystitisnanoparticlesreactive oxygen species[SDGs]SDG3journal article10.3390/antiox130708262-s2.0-85199782820