Dry powders containing chitosan-based nanocapsules for pulmonary administration: Adjustment of spray-drying process and in vitro evaluation in A549 cells

Abstract

In this work, it is described a novel micro-nanoplatform for pulmonary administration of active ingredients (AIs), including chitosan (CS)-based nanocapsules (NCs) with/without hyaluronic acid (HA), to treat lung diseases. Specifically, CS NCs and HA/CS NCs were microencapsulated in mannitol microspheres (Ma MS) by a simple spray-drying technique that gave as result dry powders of suitable characteristics for inhalation. Ma MS showed spherical morphology and sizes between 1 and 5 μm, with homogeneous distribution of NCs inside them. In aqueous media, the powders released rapidly the NCs, maintaining approximately their physicochemical characteristics. In vitro studies in A549 cells showed high cell viabilities after contact with both NCs (>90%) and Ma (≥99%); being, approximately, a 100% of cells internalized with NCs. For first time, it is exhaustively described the adjustment of the spray-drying process of NCs, resulting in a suitable and safe micro-nanoplatform of great potential for pulmonary administration.