scholarly journals Targeted delivery of liquid microvolumes into the lung

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (37) ◽  
pp. 11530-11535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinho Kim ◽  
John D. O’Neill ◽  
N. Valerio Dorrello ◽  
Matthew Bacchetta ◽  
Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

The ability to deliver drugs to specific sites in the lung could radically improve therapeutic outcomes of a variety of lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis, severe bronchopneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Using conventional methods for pulmonary drug administration, precise, localized delivery of exact doses of drugs to target regions remains challenging. Here we describe a more controlled delivery of soluble reagents (e.g., drugs, enzymes, and radionuclides) in microvolume liquid plugs to targeted branches of the pulmonary airway tree: upper airways, small airways (bronchioles), or the most distal alveoli. In this approach, a soluble liquid plug of very small volume (<1 mL) is instilled into the upper airways, and with programmed air ventilation of the lungs, the plug is pushed into a specific desired (more distal) airway to achieve deposition of liquid film onto the lung epithelium. The plug volume and ventilation conditions were determined by mathematical modeling of plug transport in a tubular geometry, and targeted liquid film deposition was demonstrated in rat lungs by three different in vivo imaging modalities. The experimental and modeling data suggest that instillation of microvolumes of liquid into a ventilated pulmonary airway could be an effective strategy to deliver exact doses of drugs to targeted pathologic regions of the lung, especially those inaccessible by bronchoscopy, to increase in situ efficacy of the drug and minimize systemic side effects.

Author(s):  
Shiyao Bian ◽  
Ying Zheng ◽  
Shuichi Takayama ◽  
James B. Grotberg

A thin liquid layer coating the airway can be unstable and forms a plug. Airway closure usually happens at the small airways near the end of expiration, often accompanied with hypersecretion or/and surfactant deficiency in the airway in a variety of lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Modeling work by Halpern and Grotberg [1] has shown that several forces could contribute to airway closure, such as the surface tension instability and the wall compliance. Experiments in a capillary tube were conducted by Cassidy et al. [2] who found that adding surfactant increased the airway closure time and the critical film thickness. In vitro studies [3] [4] illustrated that exposure of primary human airway epithelial cells to plug propagation and rupture led to significant cell injury. Experimental studies [5] [6] on excised lungs or in vivo animal models have shown that severe tissue damage was found in surfactant-deficient lungs due to the repetitive airway reopening. However, mechanical forces induced by airway closure have not been experimentally evaluated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 1639-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-ling Qian ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Ran Wei ◽  
Hui Lin ◽  
Li-xia Xiong

Background: Anticancer chemotherapeutics have a lot of problems via conventional Drug Delivery Systems (DDSs), including non-specificity, burst release, severe side-effects, and damage to normal cells. Owing to its potential to circumventing these problems, nanotechnology has gained increasing attention in targeted tumor therapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs or genes encapsulated in nanoparticles could be used to target therapies to the tumor site in three ways: “passive”, “active”, and “smart” targeting. Objective: To summarize the mechanisms of various internal and external “smart” stimulating factors on the basis of findings from in vivo and in vitro studies. Method: A thorough search of PubMed was conducted in order to identify the majority of trials, studies and novel articles related to the subject. Results: Activated by internal triggering factors (pH, redox, enzyme, hypoxia, etc.) or external triggering factors (temperature, light of different wavelengths, ultrasound, magnetic fields, etc.), “smart” DDSs exhibit targeted delivery to the tumor site, and controlled release of chemotherapeutic drugs or genes. Conclusion: In this review article, we summarize and classify the internal and external triggering mechanism of “smart” nanoparticle-based DDSs in targeted tumor therapy, and the most recent research advances are illustrated for better understanding.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-221
Author(s):  
Haroon Khan ◽  
Muhammad Zafar ◽  
Helena Den-Haan ◽  
Horacio Perez-Sanchez ◽  
Mohammad Amjad Kamal

Aim and Objective: Lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes play an important role in the pathophysiology of several inflammatory and allergic diseases including bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Inhibitors of the LOX are believed to be an ideal approach in the treatment of diseases caused by its over-expression. In this regard, several synthetic and natural agents are under investigation worldwide. Alkaloids are the most thoroughly investigated class of natural compounds with outstanding past in clinically useful drugs. In this article, we have discussed various alkaloids of plant origin that have already shown lipoxygenase inhibition in-vitro with possible correlation in in silico studies. Materials and Methods: Molecular docking studies were performed using MOE (Molecular Operating Environment) software. Among the ten reported LOX alkaloids inhibitors, derived from plant, compounds 4, 2, 3 and 1 showed excellent docking scores and receptor sensitivity. Result and Conclusion: These compounds already exhibited in vitro lipoxygenase inhibition and the MOE results strongly correlated with the experimental results. On the basis of these in vitro assays and computer aided results, we suggest that these compounds need further detail in vivo studies and clinical trial for the discovery of new more effective and safe lipoxygenase inhibitors. In conclusion, these results might be useful in the design of new and potential lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Nguyen ◽  
Jianhua Gao ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Abhignyan Nagesetti ◽  
Peter Andrews ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7996
Author(s):  
Jordan D. Lewicky ◽  
Nya L. Fraleigh ◽  
Alexandrine L. Martel ◽  
Thi M.-D. Nguyen ◽  
Peter W. Schiller ◽  
...  

Peptide therapeutics offer numerous advantages in the treatment of diseases and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). However, they are not without limitations, especially in terms of their pharmacokinetics where their metabolic lability and low blood–brain barrier penetration hinder their application. Targeted nanoparticle delivery systems are being tapped for their ability to improve the delivery of therapeutics into the brain non-invasively. We have developed a family of mannosylated glycoliposome delivery systems for targeted drug delivery applications. Herein, we demonstrate via in vivo distribution studies the potential of these glycoliposomes to improve the utility of CNS active therapeutics using dynantin, a potent and selective dynorphin peptide analogue antagonist of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). Glycoliposomal entrapment protected dynantin against known rapid metabolic degradation and ultimately improved brain levels of the peptide by approximately 3–3.5-fold. Moreover, we linked this improved brain delivery with improved KOR antagonist activity by way of an approximately 30–40% positive modulation of striatal dopamine levels 20 min after intranasal administration. Overall, the results clearly highlight the potential of our glycoliposomes as a targeted delivery system for therapeutic agents of the CNS.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3749
Author(s):  
Yingnan Si ◽  
Ya Zhang ◽  
Hanh Giai Ngo ◽  
Jia-Shiung Guan ◽  
Kai Chen ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are highly aggressive and recurrent. Standard cytotoxic chemotherapies are currently the main treatment options, but their clinical efficacies are limited and patients usually suffer from severe side effects. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate targeted liposomes-delivered combined chemotherapies to treat TNBCs. Specifically, the IC50 values of the microtubule polymerization inhibitor mertansine (DM1), mitotic spindle assembly defecting taxane (paclitaxel, PTX), DNA synthesis inhibitor gemcitabine (GC), and DNA damage inducer doxorubicin (AC) were tested in both TNBC MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. Then we constructed the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody (mAb) tagged liposomes and confirmed its TNBC cell surface binding using flow cytometry, internalization with confocal laser scanning microscopy, and TNBC xenograft targeting in NSG female mice using In Vivo Imaging System. The safe dosage of anti-EGFR liposomal chemotherapies, i.e., <20% body weight change, was identified. Finally, the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy studies in TNBC cell line-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft models revealed that the targeted delivery of chemotherapies (mertansine and gemcitabine) can effectively inhibit tumor growth. This study demonstrated that the targeted liposomes enable the new formulations of combined therapies that improve anti-TNBC efficacy.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 369
Author(s):  
Jennifer Schwestka ◽  
Eva Stoger

The efficacy of drugs and vaccines depends on their stability and ability to interact with their targets in vivo. Many drugs benefit from encapsulation, which protects them from harsh conditions and allows targeted delivery and controlled release. Although many encapsulation methods are inexpensive, such as the formulation of tablets for oral delivery, others require complex procedures that add significantly to production costs and require low-temperature transport and storage, making them inaccessible in developing countries. In this review we consider the benefits of encapsulation technologies based on plants. Plant-derived biopolymers such as starch and the maize storage protein zein are already used as protective coatings, but plant cells used as production host provide natural in vivo bioencapsulation that survives passage through the stomach and releases drugs in the intestine, due to the presence of microbes that can digest the cell wall. Proteins can also be encapsulated in subcellular compartments such as protein bodies, which ensure stability and activity while often conferring additional immunomodulatory effects. Finally, we consider the incorporation of drugs and vaccines into plant-derived nanoparticles assembled from the components of viruses. These are extremely versatile, allowing the display of epitopes and targeting peptides as well as carrying cargoes of drugs and imaging molecules.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Shenghui Zhong ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Jinsong Ding ◽  
Wenhu Zhou

Methotrexate (MTX) is an anchor drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, long-term and high-dose usage of MTX for patients can cause many side effects and toxic reactions. To address these difficulties, selectively delivering MTX to the inflammatory site of a joint is promising in the treatment of RA. In this study, we prepared MTX-PEI@HA nanoparticles (NPs), composed of hyaluronic acid (HA) as the hydrophilic negative electrical shell, and MTX-linked branched polyethyleneimine (MTX-PEI) NPs as the core. MTX-PEI@HA NPs were prepared in the water phase by a one-pot method. The polymeric NPs were selectively internalized via CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis in the activated macrophages. In the in vivo mice mode study, treatment with MTX-PEI@HA NPs mitigated inflammatory arthritis with notable safety at a high dose of MTX. We highlight the distinct advantages of aqueous-synthesized NPs coated with HA for arthritis-selective targeted delivery, thus verifying MTX-PEI@HA NPs as a promising MTX-based nanoplatform for treatment of RA.


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