Chapter 5 - Improved pulmonary drug delivery through nanocarriers

Abstract

Drug delivery through pulmonary route has gained great momentum in recent years. The extensive vascularization, thin epithelial barrier, and vast surface area of nearly 100m2 of alveoli augment drug uptake and transport. This route of drug delivery would significantly ease treatment of lungs diseases like Cystic fibrosis and Tuberculosis. The systemic adverse effects of drugs might also be decreased by directly delivering the drug to its desired site of action. Nanotechnology-based drugs or nano-medicines have greater potential for treatment of ailments via targeted delivery of drugs. Synthesis of specific particles for certain population of cells or organs like respiratory tract targeting is possible with exploitation of particle's characteristics, e.g., surface chemistry, size, surface area, and surface charge. Particularly, pulmonary drug delivery is currently being extensively investigated using nanometer size ranged particles (nanoparticles having 300nm or less mean diameter) and it is speculated that in near future, lungs diseases may be efficiently and effectively treated through drug-loaded inhalable nanocarriers. This strategy might enhance therapeutic effects of the drugs and reduce their systemic adverse effects. The toxicological aspects of nanocarriers must also be considered subsequent to their application as favorable avenue for pulmonary drug delivery. Hence it will be possible to minimize and control such detrimental/toxic effects by identification of various modes of nanocarriers’ interactions thus will allow nanocarriers to be used safely as therapeutic agents for site-specific and targeted drug delivery.