Patented therapeutic drug delivery strategies for targeting pulmonary diseases

Curcumin-loaded niosomes downregulate mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers involved in asthma: an in vitro study

Aim: In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in niosomes (Nio-Curc) to increase its effectiveness for the treatment of asthma. Materials & methods: The formulation underwent various physicochemical characterization experiments, an in vitro release study, molecular simulations and was evaluated for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. Results: Results showed that Nio-Curc had a mean particle size of 284.93 ± 14.27 nm, zeta potential of -46.93 and encapsulation efficacy of 99.62%, which demonstrates optimized physicochemical characteristics. Curcumin release in vitro could be sustained for up to 24 h. Additionally, Nio-Curc effectively reduced mRNA transcript expression of pro-inflammatory markers; IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α in immortalized human airway basal cell line (BCi-NS1.1). Conclusion: In this study, we have demonstrated that Nio-Curc mitigated the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers in an in vitro study, which could be applied to treatment of asthma with further studies.

Antiproliferative effects of boswellic acid-loaded chitosan nanoparticles on human lung cancer cell line A549

Aim: In the present study boswellic acids-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized using ionic gelation technique. The influence of independent variables were studied and optimized on dependent variables using central composite design. Methodology & results: The designed nanoparticles were observed spherical in shape with an average size of 67.5-187.2 nm and have also shown an excellent entrapment efficiency (80.06 ± 0.48). The cytotoxicity assay revealed enhanced cytotoxicity for drug-loaded nanoparticles in contrast to the free drug having an IC₅₀ value of 17.29 and 29.59 μM, respectively. Flow cytometry confirmed that treatment of cells with 40 μg/ml had arrested 22.75 ± 0.3% at SubG₀ phase of the cell cycle when compared with untreated A459 cells. The observed results justified the boswellic acids-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were effective due to greater cellular uptake, sustained intercellular drug retention and enhanced antiproliferative effect by inducing apoptosis.

Beyond the Obvious: Smoking and Respiratory Infection Implications on Alzheimer's Disease

Tobacco smoke is not only a leading cause for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disorders, and lung and oral cancers, but also causes neurological disorders such as Alzheimer 's disease. Tobacco smoke consists of more than 4500 toxic chemicals, which form free radicals and can cross blood-brain barrier resulting in oxidative stress, an extracellular amyloid plaque from the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide deposition in the brain. Further, respiratory infections such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus have also been involved in the induction and development of the disease. The necessary information collated on this review has been gathered from various literature published from 1995 to 2019. The review article sheds light on the role of smoking and respiratory infections in causing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, resulting in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review will be of interest to scientists and researchers from biological and medical science disciplines, including microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences and the translational researchers, etc. The increasing understanding of the relationship between chronic lung disease and neurological disease is two-fold. First, this would help to identify the risk factors and possible therapeutic interventions to reduce the development and progression of both diseases. Second, this would help to reduce the probable risk of development of AD in the population prone to chronic lung diseases.

Advanced drug delivery systems can assist in managing influenza virus infection: A hypothesis

Outbreaks of influenza infections in the past have severely impacted global health and socioeconomic growth. Antivirals and vaccines are remarkable medical innovations that have been successful in reducing the rates of morbidity and mortality from this disease. However, the relentless emergence of drug resistance has led to a worrisome increase in the trend of influenza outbreaks, characterized by worsened clinical outcomes as well as increased economic burden. This has prompted the need for breakthrough innovations that can effectively manage influenza outbreaks. This article provides an insight into a novel hypothesis that describes how the integration of nanomedicine, with the development of drugs and vaccines can potentially enhance body immune response and the efficacies of anti-viral therapeutics to combat influenza infections.

Perspectives and advancements in the design of nanomaterials for targeted cancer theranostics

Cancer continues to be one of the most challenging diseases to be treated and is one of the leading causes of deaths around the globe. Cancers account for 13% of all deaths each year, with cancer-related mortality expected to rise to 13.1 million by the year 2030. Although, we now have a large library of chemotherapeutic agents, the problem of non-selectivity remains the biggest drawback, as these substances are toxic not only to cancerous cells, but also to other healthy cells in the body. The limitations with chemotherapy and radiation have led to the discovery and development of novel strategies for safe and effective treatment strategies to manage the menace of cancer. Researchers have long justified and have shed light on the emergence of nanotechnology as a potential area for cancer therapy and diagnostics, whereby, nanomaterials are used primarily as nanocarriers or as delivery agents for anticancer drugs due to their tumor targeting properties. Furthermore, nanocarriers loaded with chemotherapeutic agents also overcome biological barriers such as renal and hepatic clearances, thus improving therapeutic efficacy with lowered morbidity. Theranostics, which is the combination of rationally designed nanomaterials with cancer-targeting moieties, along with protective polymers and imaging agents has become one of the core keywords in cancer research. In this review, we have highlighted the potential of various nanomaterials for their application in cancer therapy and imaging, including their current state and clinical prospects. Theranostics has successfully paved a path to a new era of drug design and development, in which nanomaterials and imaging contribute to a large variety of cancer therapies and provide a promising future in the effective management of various cancers. However, in order to meet the therapeutic needs, theranostic nanomaterials must be designed in such a way, that take into account the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties of the drug for the development of effective carcinogenic therapy.

Future Trends in Nebulized Therapies for Pulmonary Disease

Aerosol therapy is a key modality for drug delivery to the lungs of respiratory disease patients. Aerosol therapy improves therapeutic effects by directly targeting diseased lung regions for rapid onset of action, requiring smaller doses than oral or intravenous delivery and minimizing systemic side effects. In order to optimize treatment of critically ill patients, the efficacy of aerosol therapy depends on lung morphology, breathing patterns, aerosol droplet characteristics, disease, mechanical ventilation, pharmacokinetics, and the pharmacodynamics of cell-drug interactions. While aerosol characteristics are influenced by drug formulations and device mechanisms, most other factors are reliant on individual patient variables. This has led to increased efforts towards more personalized therapeutic approaches to optimize pulmonary drug delivery and improve selection of effective drug types for individual patients. Vibrating mesh nebulizers (VMN) are the dominant device in clinical trials involving mechanical ventilation and emerging drugs. In this review, we consider the use of VMN during mechanical ventilation in intensive care units. We aim to link VMN fundamentals to applications in mechanically ventilated patients and look to the future use of VMN in emerging personalized therapeutic drugs.