Chapter 21 - Hydrogels for pulmonary drug delivery

Abstract

The pulmonary route is one of the most attractive routes for local and systematic drug delivery owing to the large surface area of lungs, abundant blood supply, and thin alveolar epithelial lining. Despite these advantages, pulmonary disorders are still the third leading cause of premature death globally. The off-target deposition, mucociliary clearance, and phagocytosis of drug particles are major challenges in the effective delivery of the drugs to the lungs. To circumvent these challenges, various drug delivery carriers such as liposomes, micelles, polymeric microparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, and hydrogels have been investigated. The wide size range, stimuli-responsive swelling behavior, mucoadhesiveness, and biocompatibility render hydrogels as versatile biomaterials for pulmonary drug delivery. This chapter provides a detailed insight into hydrogels and their role in pulmonary drug delivery and the diagnosis of lung diseases. In addition, the pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and future prospects of the hydrogel-based pulmonary delivery systems are also discussed.