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Updated: May 13, 2025

Dry Powder and Nebulized Aerosol Inhalation of Pharmaceuticals Delivered to Mice Using a Nose-only Exposure System
Published on: April 6, 2017
An advanced inhalable dry powder, mucus-penetrating aerosol platform: Bridging Andrographolide delivery with clinical
Decui Cheng1, Tingting Pan2, Xiaoli Wang2
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai, 200025, China; Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai, 200025, China.
Abstract:
Effective aerosol drug delivery remains a challenge for treating pulmonary diseases due to physiological barriers such as mucus accumulation, biofilm formation, and rapid macrophage clearance. Here, we developed an inhalable honeycomb-like microsphere (HCLplga-Ab) aerosol platform using FDA-approved poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and a pore-forming agent. The platform encapsulates Andrographolide, a bioactive compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine, together with a chitosan-ambroxol coating to achieve mucus penetration, sequential drug release, and prolonged retention in the lungs. The large geometric diameter (∼10-15 microm) combined with an optimal aerodynamic size (∼2.57 microm) ensures deep lung deposition while evading alveolar macrophage clearance. In murine models of acute lung injury (ALI), bacterial pneumonia (Klebsiella pneumoniae), and fungal pneumonia (Candida albicans), HCLplga-Ab demonstrated enhanced mucus penetration and biofilm destruction, uniform and prolonged drug retention in the lungs, and significant reduction in inflammation and pathogen burden. This versatile platform bridges traditional medicine with modern aerosol technology, offering a promising solution for respiratory disorders and clinical translation.
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