82 and lipid nanoparticles
74 have been developed and used in cancer imaging and diagnosis. During traditional clinical CT imaging, iodinated small molecules and barium sulfate suspensions are usually used as contrast agents,
121,122 but they are not ideal for imaging IBD due to their nonspecificity. Furthermore, when administered orally, these suspensions are nonspecifically distributed throughout the GIT, thus interfering with diagnosis and leading to accumulative radiation exposure in IBD patients.
123 Therefore, the CT contrast agent must not only be stable in the GIT microenvironment but also must be specifically enriched in the diseased parts of the intestine to better detect disease.
Based on the microenvironmental characteristics of the GIT and the design strategy of orally administered DDSs for IBD therapy, the application of nanoparticles may create ideas for the CT imaging in IBD. Naha et al designed and synthesized nanocontrast agents that can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD, which were named dextran-coated cerium oxide nanoparticles (Dex-CeNPs).