Pulmonary Surfactant Nanoparticles for Lung-Targeted and Dose-Efficient Delivery.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

• Pulmonary drug delivery faces challenges like inflammation and physiological barriers.
• Existing methods limit the efficacy of lung-targeted therapies.
• Biomimetic approaches are needed to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biomimetic platform using pulmonary surfactant nanoparticles (PSNPs) for enhanced pulmonary drug delivery.
• To improve the preservation of native surfactant proteins and biophysical functionality.
• To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of PSNPs in pulmonary fibrosis.

Main Methods:

• Microfluidic synthesis of uniform PSNPs with high protein retention (95%).
• Assessment of interfacial activity and alveolar cellular uptake compared to liposomes.
• In vitro evaluation of nintedanib-loaded PSNPs on fibroblast functions.
• In vivo studies in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model.

Main Results:

• Microfluidics significantly improved protein retention (2.4-fold) and nanoparticle uniformity.
• PSNPs demonstrated superior interfacial activity and an 80-fold increase in cellular uptake.
• In vitro, PSNPs reduced key markers of fibrosis.
• In vivo, PSNPs showed high lung retention, efficient fibrotic region penetration, and significant therapeutic benefits.

Conclusions:

• PSNPs represent a robust lung-targeted nanotherapeutic platform.
• Microfluidic synthesis enhances biomimicry, protein preservation, and therapeutic performance.
• PSNPs offer a promising strategy for treating pulmonary diseases like fibrosis.