Abstract
ObjectiveAcute lung injury (ALI), is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, which is routinely treated with the administration of systemic glucocorticoids. The current study investigated the distribution and therapeutic effect of a dexamethasone(DXM)-loaded immunoliposome (NLP) functionalized with pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) antibody (SPA-DXM-NLP) in an animal model.MethodsDXM-NLP was prepared using film dispersion combined with extrusion techniques. SP-A antibody was used as the lung targeting agent. Tissue distribution of SPA-DXM-NLP was investigated in liver, spleen, kidney and lung tissue. The efficacy of SPA-DXM-NLP against lung injury was assessed in a rat model of bleomycin-induced acute lung injury.ResultsThe SPA-DXM-NLP complex was successfully synthesized and the particles were stable at 4°C. Pulmonary dexamethasone levels were 40 times higher with SPA-DXM-NLP than conventional dexamethasone injection. Administration of SPA-DXM-NLP significantly attenuated lung injury and inflammation, decreased incidence of infection, and increased survival in animal models.ConclusionsThe administration of SPA-DXM-NLP to animal models resulted in increased levels of DXM in the lungs, indicating active targeting. The efficacy against ALI of the immunoliposomes was shown to be superior to conventional dexamethasone administration. These results demonstrate the potential of actively targeted glucocorticoid therapy in the treatment of lung disease in clinical practice.
Highlights
Glucocorticoids are steroidal hormones with strong antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive actions, which are widely used in clinical practice
There was no significant reduction in encapsulation efficiency in liposome suspensions that had been stored at 4uC for 4 weeks, suggesting that the particles were stable (Figure 2B)
Linear regression analysis was performed to define the relationship between chromatographic peak area and dexamethasone sodium phosphate concentrations
Summary
Glucocorticoids are steroidal hormones with strong antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive actions, which are widely used in clinical practice. Acute lung injury/Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) [4] are severe form of hypoxic lung disease due to many complicated causes and lead to a large number of deaths worldwide. They are defined clinically by gas exchange and chest radiographic abnormalities which occur shortly after a known predisposing injury and in the absence of heart failure. Bleomycin is usually used in establishing acute lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis models in vivo [8].This animal model has diffused alveolar inflammation after with bleomycin from day 3 to 14, and gradually progress to fibrosis. It is a good animal model of acute lung injury, we used it to explore the effect of our new lung targeting agent
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