Abstract
Journal of Controlled Disease 019, 316, 393-403
In-vitro and in-vivo characterization of a multi-stage enzyme-responsive nanoparticle-in-microgel pulmonary drug delivery system
Mejias JC, Roy K
Although the lung is an obvious target for site-specific delivery of many therapeutics for respiratory airway diseases such as asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, novel strategies are needed to avoid key physiologic barriers for efficient delivery and controlled release of therapeutics to the lungs. Specifically, deposition into the deep lung requires particles with a 1- 5 mu m aerodynamic diameter; however, particles with a geometric diameter less than 6 mu m are rapidly cleared by alveolar macrophages. Additionally, epithelial, endothelial, and fibroblast cells prefer smaller (< 300>