Berberine-loaded mannosylerythritol lipid-B nanomicelles as drug delivery carriers for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori biofilms in vivo

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori biofilm is crucial to the treatment of H. pylori infections, especially regarding the challenge of fast development of antibiotic resistance in H. pylori worldwide. Herein, a self-assembled berberine-loaded MEL-B nanomicelle (MEL-B NMs/BBR4) gastric delivery carrier was established to combat biofilm-induced H. pylori resistance in vivo. MEL-B NMs/BBR4 were tolerant to the stomach's acidic environment for the first 2 h and could quickly penetrate the mucus layer to reach the H. pylori colonization site. In addition, MEL-B NMs/BBR4 could damage the architecture of H. pylori biofilms, and simultaneously kill dispersed H. pylori cells by berberine and inhibit the formation of H. pylori biofilms. Significantly, MEL-B NMs/BBR4 decreased the H. pylori burden by 2 orders of magnitude and repaired the damaged gastric mucosal barrier while reducing the inflammatory response in vivo. In brief, this study provides a new strategy for using a fully natural nanodrug to effectively eradicate H. pylori biofilms in vivo.