Delivery of pDNA to the Lung by Lipopolyplexes Using N-Lauroylsarcosine and Effect on the Pulmonary Fibrosis

Lipid nanoparticles for pulmonary fibrosis: A comprehensive review

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal progressive and irreversible ailment associated with the proliferation of fibroblast and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) with gradual scarring of lung tissue. Despite several research studies, the treatments available are not efficient enough for the reversal of the disease and are constantly in progress. No drugs other than Pirfenidone and Nintedanib have been approved for the treatment of IPF, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. Recently, lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) have drawn more attention because of their potential to enhance the solubility of drugs, cross biological barriers of the lungs and specifically target lung fibrotic tissues, overcoming various challenges in treating IPF. LNPs offer a versatile platform to encapsulate a wide range of drugs, both hydrophilic and lipophilic, improving their bioavailability, allowing sustained release and reducing toxicity, which radiates their significant role in addressing the complexities of IPF. This review summarizes the pathogenesis and conventional treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, along with their drawbacks. The review focuses on different types of lipid-based nanoparticles that have been tested in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, including nanoemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, niosomes and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles. The review also highlights the future prospects that can offer a potential approach for developing novel strategies to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Recent Progress in Nucleic Acid Pulmonary Delivery toward Overcoming Physiological Barriers and Improving Transfection Efficiency

Pulmonary delivery of therapeutic agents has been considered the desirable administration route for local lung disease treatment. As the latest generation of therapeutic agents, nucleic acid has been gradually developed as gene therapy for local diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and lung fibrosis. The features of nucleic acid, specific physiological structure, and pathophysiological barriers of the respiratory tract have strongly affected the delivery efficiency and pulmonary bioavailability of nucleic acid, directly related to the treatment outcomes. The development of pharmaceutics and material science provides the potential for highly effective pulmonary medicine delivery. In this review, the key factors and barriers are first introduced that affect the pulmonary delivery and bioavailability of nucleic acids. The advanced inhaled materials for nucleic acid delivery are further summarized. The recent progress of platform designs for improving the pulmonary delivery efficiency of nucleic acids and their therapeutic outcomes have been systematically analyzed, with the application and the perspectives of advanced vectors for pulmonary gene delivery.

Emerging delivery approaches for targeted pulmonary fibrosis treatment

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive, and life-threatening interstitial lung disease which causes scarring in the lung parenchyma and thereby affects architecture and functioning of lung. It is an irreversible damage to lung functioning which is related to epithelial cell injury, immense accumulation of immune cells and inflammatory cytokines, and irregular recruitment of extracellular matrix. The inflammatory cytokines trigger the differentiation of fibroblasts into activated fibroblasts, also known as myofibroblasts, which further increase the production and deposition of collagen at the injury sites in the lung. Despite the significant morbidity and mortality associated with PF, there is no available treatment that efficiently and effectively treats the disease by reversing their underlying pathologies. In recent years, many therapeutic regimens, for instance, rho kinase inhibitors, Smad signaling pathway inhibitors, p38, BCL-xL/ BCL-2 and JNK pathway inhibitors, have been found to be potent and effective in treating PF, in preclinical stages. However, due to non-selectivity and non-specificity, the therapeutic molecules also result in toxicity mediated severe side effects. Hence, this review demonstrates recent advances on PF pathology, mechanism and targets related to PF, development of various drug delivery systems based on small molecules, RNAs, oligonucleotides, peptides, antibodies, exosomes, and stem cells for the treatment of PF and the progress of various therapeutic treatments in clinical trials to advance PF treatment.

Fibrotic Scar in CNS Injuries: From the Cellular Origins of Fibroblasts to the Molecular Processes of Fibrotic Scar Formation

Central nervous system (CNS) trauma activates a persistent repair response that leads to fibrotic scar formation within the lesion. This scarring is similar to other organ fibrosis in many ways; however, the unique features of the CNS differentiate it from other organs. In this review, we discuss fibrotic scar formation in CNS trauma, including the cellular origins of fibroblasts, the mechanism of fibrotic scar formation following an injury, as well as the implication of the fibrotic scar in CNS tissue remodeling and regeneration. While discussing the shared features of CNS fibrotic scar and fibrosis outside the CNS, we highlight their differences and discuss therapeutic targets that may enhance regeneration in the CNS.