Docetaxel liposomes for lung targeted delivery: development and evaluation

Docetaxel (DTX) is an artificial semi-synthetic second-generation taxane anti-tumor drug, which is suitable for the treatment of various cancers such as lung cancer. The route of administration of DTX formulations has been extended to oral, intravenous, and rectal, with few studies on pulmonary administration being reported. Here, we had developed DTX liposomes (DTX-lips) for pulmonary inhalation administration. The particle size of the preparation was 125 nm, the encapsulation efficiency was 94.4 ± 0.14%, and the drug loading capacity was 1.26 ± 0.01%. It had good stability. The fine particle fraction with aerodynamic diameter less than 6.4 μm accounts for 64.63 ± 0.12%, showed excellent aerosolization performance. DTX-lips were slow to release in simulated lung fluid. The fluorescence distribution experimented in mice and tissues showed that the fluorescence of the inhaled liposome group was mainly distributed in the lung, and the retention time was significantly prolonged as compared with those of the other two groups. No significant fluorescence was observed in other tissues, which was conducive to the full effect of the drug in the lung tissue. DTX-lips had no damage to respiratory system and whole body. These results indicated that the inhaled DTX-lips had good lung targeting, reduced accumulation in other organs, and improved the safety and effectiveness of the drug.