Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal
Where Innovations Meets Personalized and Precision Medicine

Nanoplatforms in Gastric Ulcer Therapy: A Narrative Review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

Mohammadreza Mohammad Hosseiniazar 1
Asad Hashemi 2

1 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine Taleghani Hospital Urmia University of Medical Sciences

2 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine Imam Khomeini Hospital Urmia University of Medical Sciences

10.22034/ppmj.2026.2091019.1072
Abstract
Introduction : Gastric ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder resulting from an imbalance between aggressive factors such as gastric acid, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and protective mucosal mechanisms. Limitations of conventional therapies, including drug resistance, systemic side effects, and suboptimal efficacy in certain patients, underscore the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Nanoparticles, as advanced drug delivery systems, offer promising approaches for targeted gastric mucosal therapy by enhancing drug stability, enabling site-specific delivery, and minimizing adverse effects. This review aims to analyze the therapeutic applications of nanoplatforms in the management of gastric ulcers and associated infections.
Methods: A narrative review was conducted by systematically searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from 2010 to 2025. Standardized keywords included “gastric ulcer,” “nanoparticles,” “targeted drug delivery,” “Helicobacter pylori,” and “mucosal drug delivery systems.” Eligible studies comprised preclinical investigations, animal models, and relevant review articles. Data were extracted and analyzed qualitatively and thematically.
Results: The findings indicate that nanocarriers including poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), chitosan, silver, gold, selenium nanoparticles, and plant-based formulations—enhance drug bioavailability, enable controlled release, improve mucoadhesion, and achieve targeted gastric delivery. These properties collectively facilitate accelerated mucosal healing and tissue regeneration. Key mechanisms include inhibition of inflammatory pathways such as NF-κB, reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6), attenuation of oxidative stress, enhancement of antioxidant defenses (SOD, CAT, NRF2), and antibacterial activity against H. pylori. Conversely, certain nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide, may provoke local inflammation and mucosal injury, highlighting the importance of nanoparticle type and physicochemical properties.
Conclusion: Targeted nanoparticles, through controlled drug release, mucoadhesion, anti-inflammatory effects, and antibacterial activity, represent a novel and effective approach for gastric ulcer therapy However, heterogeneity in biological responses and potential toxicity necessitate further extensive preclinical studies and rigorously designed clinical trials to ensure the safety and efficacy of these nanomedicine strategies.

Keywords

Gastric ulcer
Nanoparticle
Targeted drug delivery
Nanomedicine
Subjects
1.     Beiranvand M. A review of the most common in vivo models of stomach ulcers and natural and synthetic anti-ulcer compounds: a comparative systematic study. Phytomed Plus. 2022;2(2):100264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phyplu.2022.100264
2.     Hosseiniazar MM, Hashemi A. Medicinal plants used in traditional Iranian medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcers: a review of animal and clinical studies. Rev Bras Hig Sanid Anim. 2025;19(4):1. https://doi.org/10.5935/1981-2965.20250021
3.     Fornai M, Antonioli L, Colucci R, Tuccori M, Blandizzi C. Pathophysiology of gastric ulcer development and healing: molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic options. In: Chai J, editor. Peptic Ulcer Disease [Internet]. Rijeka: InTech; 2011. https://doi.org/10.5772/17640
4.     Woolf A, Rose R. Gastric ulcer. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537128/
5.     Khan AH, Dar MA, Mir MA. Gastric ulcer: an overview. Int J Curr Res Physiol Pharmacol. 2023;7(3):1-7. https://ijcrpp.com/index.php/ijcrpp/article/view/63
6.     Tytgat GNJ. Treatment of peptic ulcer. Digestion. 1998;59(5):446-52. https://doi.org/10.1159/000007522
7.     Winkelstein A. The modern treatment of peptic ulcer. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1944; 20(2):87-98. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19312366/
8.     Doll R. Medical treatment of gastric ulcer. Scott Med J. 1964;9(5):183-96. https://doi.org/10.1177/003693306400900501
9.     Singh R, Pandey P, Kumar A, Mishra MK. Cutting-edge nanotechnology approaches in peptic ulcer therapy. Curr Nanomed. 2025;15(3):256-66. https://doi.org/10.2174/0124681873291800240416064129
10. Mujtaba SH, Arshad R, Aman W, Barkat K, Malik A, Fatima A, et al. Innovative self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems for peptic ulcer therapy: a review. Part Part Syst Charact. 2025;42(1):2400070. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppsc.202400070
11. Zheng G, Zhang B, Yu H, Song Z, Xu X, Zheng Z, et al. Therapeutic applications and potential biological barriers of nano-delivery systems in common gastrointestinal disorders: a comprehensive review. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater. 2025;8:227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-025-01292-3
12. Malak A, Moftha NSH, El-Zayat EM, Mohamed AS, Saad DY. Therapeutic effect of silver/chitosan/ascorbic acid nanocomposites on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Curr Top Pharmacol. 2022;26:95-104. http://www.researchtrends.net/tia/article_pdf.asp?aid=7021&in=0&tid=11&vn=26
13. Abo El-Ela FI, Farghali AA, Mahmoud RK, Mohamed NA, Abdel Moaty SA. New approach in ulcer prevention and wound healing treatment using doxycycline and amoxicillin/LDH nanocomposites. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):6418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42842-2
14. Liu J, Leng P, Liu Y. Oral drug delivery with nanoparticles into the gastrointestinal mucosa. Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2021;35(1):86-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcp.12594
15. Ensign LM, Cone R, Hanes J. Oral drug delivery with polymeric nanoparticles: the gastrointestinal mucus barriers. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2012;64(6):557-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2011.12.009
16. Yang C, Merlin D. Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems for the treatment of IBD: current perspectives. Int J Nanomedicine. 2019;14:8875-89. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S210315
17. Gupta A, Shetty S, Mutalik S, Chandrashekar R, Gopalan D, Murali TS, et al. Treatment of H. pylori infection and gastric ulcer: need for novel pharmaceutical formulation. Heliyon. 2023;9(10):e20406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20406
18. Hashemi A, Hosseiniazar MM. Probiotics and their role in celiac disease: a review of animal, cellular, and human studies. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2026;8(3). https://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-405-en.html
19. Laroui H, Rakhya P, Xiao B, Viennois E, Merlin D. Nanotechnology in diagnostics and therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders. Dig Liver Dis. 2013;45(12):995-1002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2013.03.019
20. Hosseiniazar MM, Hashemi A. Herbal remedies for bloating based on Iranian traditional medicine: a review. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2026;8(2):154-60. https://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-381-en.html
21. Yadav S, Mali SN, Pandey A. Biogenic nanoparticles as safer alternatives for gastric ulcers: an update on green synthesis methods, toxicity, and their efficacy in controlling inflammation. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025;203(7):3967-86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-024-04446-4
22. Alai M, Lin WJ. Novel lansoprazole-loaded nanoparticles for the treatment of gastric acid secretion-related ulcers: in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic evaluation. AAPS J. 2014;16(3):361-72. https://doi.org/10.1208/s12248-014-9564-0
23. Li L, Jing J, Yang S, Fang S, Liu W, Wang C, et al. Bletilla striata polysaccharide nanoparticles improved the therapeutic efficacy of omeprazole on the rat gastric ulcer induced by ethanol. Mol Pharm. 2023;20(4):1996-2008. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00922
24. Zewail MB, El-Gizawy SA, Asaad GF, El-Dakroury WA. Development of famotidine-loaded lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles for prolonged and efficient anti-gastric ulcer activity. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2024;91:105196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2023.105196
25. Wang Y, Li C, Ba T, Wang S, He L, Chen Z, et al. Gastrointestinal dysfunction as the main performance of the oral toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticle on gastric ulcer rats. NanoImpact. 2025;37:100551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2025.100551
26. Alai M, Lin WJ. Application of nanoparticles for oral delivery of acid-labile lansoprazole in the treatment of gastric ulcer: in vitro and in vivo evaluations. Int J Nanomedicine. 2015;10:4029-41. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S82366
27. Albalawi M, Khateeb S. Development of glycyrrhizic acid nanoparticles for modulating gastric ulcer healing: a comparative in vivo study targeting oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. Antioxidants (Basel). 2025;14(8):990. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14080990
28. El-Sheikh MA, Hamad SR. Starch nanoparticles: preparation, characterization, and gastro-protective effect on gastric ulcer mice model. Carbohydr Polym Technol Appl. 2025;11:100901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carpta.2025.100901
29. Huang Z, Shi Y, Wang H, Chun C, Chen L, Wang K, et al. Protective effects of chitosan-bilirubin nanoparticles against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers. Int J Nanomedicine. 2021;16:8235-50. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S344805
30. Abd El Hady WE, Mohamed EA, Soliman OAEA, El-Sabbagh HM. In vitro-in vivo evaluation of chitosan-PLGA nanoparticles for potentiated gastric retention and anti-ulcer activity of diosmin. Int J Nanomedicine. 2019;14:7191-213. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S213836
31. Zhang D, Tian W, Chen LH, Chen T, Wu D, Du Y, et al. Synergistic effects of oleanolic acid and curcumin nanoparticles in gastric ulcer prevention. Int J Pharm. 2025;674:125465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125465
32. Aman RM, Zaghloul RA, El-Dahhan MS. Formulation, optimization and characterization of allantoin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles to alleviate ethanol-induced gastric ulcer: in vitro and in vivo studies. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):2216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81183-x
33. Salem NA, Wahba MA, Eisa WH, El-Shamarka M, Khalil W. Silver oxide nanoparticles alleviate indomethacin-induced gastric injury: a novel antiulcer agent. Inflammopharmacology. 2018;26(4):1025-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-017-0424-2
34. Kumar A, Selim A, Gowri V, Ahmad A, Vyawahare A, Nadeem A, et al. Cellulose-conjugated copper-oxide nanoparticles for the treatment of ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in Wistar rats. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2022;8(6):2636-43. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00090
35. Sreelakshmy V, Deepa MK, Mridula P. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract for the treatment of gastric ulcer. J Dev Drugs. 2016;5(2):152. https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6631.1000152
36. Abd El-Rady NM, Dahpy MA, Ahmed A, Elgamal DA, Hadiya S, Ahmed MA, et al. Interplay of biochemical, genetic, and immunohistochemical factors in the etiopathogenesis of gastric ulcer in rats: a comparative study of the effect of pomegranate-loaded nanoparticles versus pomegranate peel extract. Front Physiol. 2021;12:649462. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.649462
37. Moradi M, Hanachi P, Bahramikia S, Tavan M. Effect of green synthesized silver nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Biocatal Agric Biotechnol. 2025;66:103584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2025.103584
38. Sun Q, Li W, Li H, Wang X, Wang Y, Niu X. Preparation, characterization and anti-ulcer efficacy of sanguinarine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. Pharmacology. 2017;100(1-2):14-24. https://doi.org/10.1159/000454882
39. Prasad RGSV, Davan R, Jothi S, Phani AR, Raju DB. Cerium oxide nanoparticles protect gastrointestinal mucosa from ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in an in vivo animal model. Nano Biomed Eng. 2013;5(1):46-9. https://doi.org/10.5101/nbe.v5i1.p46-49
40. Elsisi AE, Mekky EF, Abu-Risha SE. Potential effects of carbon monoxide donor and its nanoparticles on experimentally induced gastric ulcer in rats. Inflammopharmacology. 2023;31(3):1495-510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-023-01166-4
41. Shareef SH, Hadi IN, Badeea MA, Abdulla MA. Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Zingiber officinale rhizomes aqueous extract and its gastroprotective activity against ethanol-produced stomach ulcer in rodents. Cihan Univ Erbil Sci J. 2022;6(2):68-75. https://doi.org/10.24086/cuesj.v6n2y2022.pp68-75
42. Perumcherry Raman S, Dara PK, Vijayan DK, Chatterjee NS, Raghavankutty M, Mathew S, et al. Anti-ulcerogenic potential of anthocyanin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against alcohol-HCl-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Nat Prod Res. 2022;36(5):1306-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2020.1860041
43. Fath-All AA, Atia T, Mohamed AS, Khalil NM, Abdelaziz TD, Mahmoud NA, et al. Efficacy of yeast-mediated SeNPs on gastric ulcer healing and gut microbiota dysbiosis in male albino rats. Tissue Cell. 2025;96:102953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tice.2025.102953
44. Alamoudi JA, El-Masry TA, El-Nagar MM, El Zahaby EI, Elmorshedy KE, Gaballa MM, et al. Chitosan/hesperidin nanoparticles formulation: a promising approach against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers via Sirt1/FOXO1/PGC-1α/HO-1 pathway. Front Pharmacol. 2024;15:1433793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1433793
45. Nagarajana E, Shanmugasundarama P, Ravichandirana V, Vijayalakshmia A, Senthilnathanb B, Masilamanib K. Development and evaluation of chitosan-based polymeric nanoparticles of an antiulcer drug, lansoprazole. J Appl Pharm Sci. 2015;5(4):20-5. https://doi.org/10.7324/JAPS.2015.50404
46. Manivannan S, Sivaraman H, Murugesan R, Narayan S. Omeprazole and H2S releasing agents encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles to enhance healing process against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer model. J Mater Res. 2023;38:3089–109. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-023-01030-9
47. Kwiecien S, Jasnos K, Magierowski M, Sliwowski Z, Pajdo R, Brzozowski B, et al. Lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species and antioxidative factors in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal lesions and mechanism of protection against oxidative stress-induced gastric injury. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014;65(5):613-22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25371520/
48. Spósito L, Fortunato GC, de Camargo BAF, Ramos MAS, de Souza MPC, Meneguin AB, et al. Exploiting drug delivery systems for oral route in the peptic ulcer disease treatment. J Drug Target. 2021;29(10):1029-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/1061186X.2021.1904249
49. Nofal AE, El-Sayyad GS, Saber AA, Zedan OI. Ameliorative effect of green bimetallic zinc oxide-magnesium oxide nanoparticles against gastric ulcer in rats via modulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory cascades, Nrf2/NF-κB signaling, and angiogenic VEGF expression. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2026; 204(8):6472–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-026-05127-0
50. Al-Saeedi RH, Khalaj-Kondori M, Hosseinpour Feizi MA, Hajavi J. DOX-PLGA nanoparticles effectively suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and IL-1β in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Rep Biochem Mol Biol. 2024;12(4):530-9. https://doi.org/10.61186/rbmb.12.4.530
51. Dawood MAO, El Basuini MF, Yilmaz S, Abdel-Latif HMR, Abdul Kari Z, Abdul Razab MKA, et al. Selenium nanoparticles as a natural antioxidant and metabolic regulator in aquaculture: a review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021;10(9):1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10091364
52. Yan S, Yue Y, Zeng L, Jiang C, Li W, Li H, Qian Y. Ligustrazine nanoparticles nano spray's activation on Nrf2/ARE pathway in oxidative stress injury in rats with postoperative abdominal adhesion. Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(16):379. https://doi.org/10.21037/atm.2019.07.72
53. Chitas R, Fonseca DR, Parreira P, Martins MCL. Targeted nanotherapeutics for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. J Biomed Sci. 2024;31(1):78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-024-01068-9
Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal
Volume 11, Issue 41 - Serial Number 41
Original article
Spring 2026
Pages 1-8

  • Receive Date 23 February 2026
  • Revise Date 27 March 2026
  • Accept Date 30 May 2026

Home

Publication Ethics

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us