{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T05:09:22Z","timestamp":1778735362315,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778457600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Astaxanthin (Ax) is a potent antioxidant, yet its poor water solubility and instability limit its application. While alginate-Ca encapsulation protects Ax during digestion, its release in the colon is often inefficient. This study aims to optimize colon-targeted delivery by integrating inulin and fucoidan, which respond selectively to Bacteroides-mediated fermentation. A novel delivery system was developed using Ax-containing particles formulated in an alginate\u2013inulin\u2013fucoidan matrix (Ax-Mix), with most particles ranging from 2 to 20 \u03bcm. In vitro results showed that the incorporation of inulin and fucoidan enhanced Ax release in alginate-Ca (Ax-Alg) through Bacteroides fermentation. Ax-Mix exhibited robust structural integrity under varying pH, thermal, and ionic conditions. Ax-Mix remained intact through the oral cavity, stomach, and small intestine, but disintegrated in the colon, triggering Ax release. Ax-Mix alleviated colitis in mice, characterized by increased weight gain and colon length and reduced disease activity index, tissue damage, and oxidative stress. Ax-Mix reshaped the gut microbiota by increasing microbial diversity and enriching beneficial taxa linked to colitis improvement. These alterations resulted in increased propionate and butyrate production. Compared to Ax-Alg, Ax-Mix exhibited superior therapeutic effects on colitis, though the underlying mechanisms require further investigation. This study presents a promising strategy for microbiota-targeted delivery of active substances.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15101675","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T15:39:32Z","timestamp":1778513972000},"page":"1675","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Fabrication of Colon-Targeted Delivery System of Astaxanthin Based on Bacteroides-Dependent Biodegradation Strategy and Its Role in Ameliorating DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Weiyun","family":"Zheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Shanxi Datong University, Datong 037009, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1208-4658","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shugang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuxin","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9718-8254","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shuang","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2172-3198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chunqing","family":"Ai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104384","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2024.104384","article-title":"Punicalagin ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in mice through strengthening gut barrier, decreasing oxidative stress and downregulating inflammation via AMPK\u2013NF\u2013\u03baB-STAT3 pathway","volume":"60","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Biosci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, S., Li, Y., Sui, D., Ren, Q., Ai, C., Li, M., Zhao, S., Li, H., Song, S., and Ren, X. 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