Customizable Resveratrol Spray-dried Micro-composites for Inhalation as a Promising Contender for Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Recent advances in encapsulation of resveratrol for enhanced delivery

Due to its numerous biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-aging, anti-osteoporosis, anti-obesity, estrogenic, neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects, resveratrol has attracted a lot of attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries as a promising bioactive. However, low solubility in aqueous media, limited bioavailability, and low stability of resveratrol in hostile environments limit its applications. The necessity for a summary of recent developments is highlighted by the growing body of research on resveratrol encapsulation as a means of overcoming the mentioned application constraints. This review highlights the present developments in resveratrol delivery techniques, including spray drying, liposomes, emulsions, and nanoencapsulation. Bioaccessibility, bioavailability, stability, and release of resveratrol from encapsulating matrices are discussed. Future research should focus on encapsulation approaches with high loading capacity, targeted delivery, and controlled release. In light of the growing interest in resveratrol and the increasing complexity of resveratrol-based formulations, review of current encapsulation methods is crucial to address existing limitations and pave the way for the development of next-generation delivery systems. This review discusses how the delivery systems with different structures and release mechanisms can unlock the full potential and benefits of resveratrol by enhancing its bioavailability and stability.

Natural Products-Based Inhaled Formulations for Treating Pulmonary Diseases

Given the unique physiological and pathological characteristics of the lung, the direct, inhalable route is more conducive to pulmonary drug delivery and disease control than traditional systemic drug delivery, significantly circumventing drug loss, off-target effects, systemic and organ toxicity, etc., and is widely regarded as the preferred regimen for pulmonary drug delivery. However, very few lung diseases are currently treated with the preferred inhaled formulations, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary hypertension. And there is a lack of appropriate inhaled formulations for other critical lung diseases, such as lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, due to the fact that the physicochemical properties of the drugs and their pharmacokinetic profiles do not match the physiology of the lung, and conventional inhalation devices are unable to deliver them to the specific parts of the lung. Phytochemicals of natural origin, due to their wide availability and clear safety profile, hold great promise for the preparation of inhalable formulations to improve the current dilemma in the treatment of lung diseases. In particular, the preparation of inhalable formulations based on nano- and microparticulate carriers for drug delivery to deep lung tissues, which overcome the shortcomings of conventional inhalation therapies while targeting the drug activity directly to a specific part of the lung, may be the best approach to change the current dilemma of lung disease treatment. In this review, we discuss recent advances in nano- and micron-carrier-based inhalation formulations for the delivery of natural products for the treatment of pulmonary diseases, which may represent an opportunity for practical clinical translation of natural products.

Targeted liposomes for macrophages-mediated pulmonary fibrosis therapy

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a horrible lung disease that causes pulmonary ventilation dysfunction and respiratory failure, severely impacting sufferers' physical and mental health. Existing drugs can only partially control the condition and are prone to toxic side effects. Anti-inflammatory treatment is the committed step to alleviate PF. Celastrol (CLT) has significant anti-inflammatory effects and can reverse M1-type transformation of macrophages. In this study, we have developed liposomes loaded with CLT, modified with folate (FA), designated FA-CLT-Lips, which facilitate drug delivery by targeting macrophages. FA-CLT-Lips were shown to be more readily absorbed by macrophages in vitro and to encourage the transition of M1 macrophages into M2 macrophages. In addition, FA-CLT-Lips can inhibit the phosphorylation of Smad2/3, effectively reducing the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the production of inflammatory factors. This showed that FA-CLT-Lips can ameliorate early lung fibrosis by lowering inflammation. In vivo studies have shown that FA-CLT-Lips accumulate in lung tissue to better attenuate lung injury and collagen deposition, with less toxicity compared to free CLT. In summary, FA receptor-targeting liposomes loaded with CLT provide a secure and reliable PF therapy.

Emerging opportunities to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Design, discovery, and optimizations of small-molecule drugs targeting fibrogenic pathways

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common fibrotic form of idiopathic diffuse lung disease. Due to limited treatment options, IPF patients suffer from poor survival. About ten years ago, Pirfenidone (Shionogi, 2008; InterMune, 2011) and Nintedanib (Boehringer Ingelheim, 2014) were approved, greatly changing the direction of IPF drug design. However, limited efficacy and side effects indicate that neither can reverse the process of IPF. With insights into the occurrence of IPF, novel targets and agents have been proposed, which have fundamentally changed the treatment of IPF. With the next-generation agents, targeting pro-fibrotic pathways in the epithelial-injury model offers a promising approach. Besides, several next-generation IPF drugs have entered phase II/III clinical trials with encouraging results. Due to the rising IPF treatment requirements, there is an urgent need to completely summarize the mechanisms, targets, problems, and drug design strategies over the past ten years. In this review, we summarize known mechanisms, target types, drug design, and novel technologies of IPF drug discovery, aiming to provide insights into the future development and clinical application of next-generation IPF drugs.