Chemical coupling of a monoclonal antisurfactant protein-B antibody to human urokinase for targeting surfactant-incorporating alveolar fibrin

Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery System: The Magic Bullet for the Treatment of Chronic Pulmonary Diseases

Chronic pulmonary diseases encompass different persistent and lethal diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), cystic fibrosis (CF), asthma, and lung cancers that affect millions of people globally. Traditional pharmacotherapeutic treatment approaches (i.e., bronchodilators, corticosteroids, chemotherapeutics, peptide-based agents, etc.) are not satisfactory to cure or impede diseases. With the advent of nanotechnology, drug delivery to an intended site is still difficult, but the nanoparticle's physicochemical properties can accomplish targeted therapeutic delivery. Based on their surface, size, density, and physical-chemical properties, nanoparticles have demonstrated enhanced pharmacokinetics of actives, achieving the spotlight in the drug delivery research field. In this review, the authors have highlighted different nanoparticle-based therapeutic delivery approaches to treat chronic pulmonary diseases along with the preparation techniques. The authors have remarked the nanosuspension delivery via nebulization and dry powder carrier is further effective in the lung delivery system since the particles released from these systems are innumerable to composite nanoparticles. The authors have also outlined the inhaled particle's toxicity, patented nanoparticle-based pulmonary formulations, and commercial pulmonary drug delivery devices (PDD) in other sections. Recently advanced formulations employing nanoparticles as therapeutic carriers for the efficient treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases are also canvassed.

Fusion Expression and Fibrinolytic Activity of rPA/SP-B

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary surfactant dysfunction is an important pathological factor in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

OBJECTIVE

In this study, the characteristics of recombinant mature surfactant protein B (SP-B) and reteplase (rPA) fusion protein maintaining good pulmonary surface activity and rPA fibrinolytic activity in acute lung injury cell model were studied.

METHODS

We studied the characteristics of SP-B fusion expression, cloned rPA gene and N-terminal rPA/C-terminal SP-B co-expression gene, and constructed them into eukaryotic expression vector pEZ-M03 to obtain recombinant plasmids pEZ-rPA and pEZ-rPA/SP-B. The recombinant plasmids was transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) K1 cells and the expression products were analyzed by Western Blot. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce CCL149 (an alveolar epithelial cell line) cell injury model. Fluorescence staining of rPA and rPA/SP-B was carried out with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) that comes with pEZ-M03; the cell Raman spectroscopy technique was used to analyze the interaction between rPA/SP-B fusion protein and the phospholipid structure of cell membrane in CCL149 cells. The enzyme activity of rPA in the fusion protein was determined by fibrin-agarose plate method.

RESULTS

The rPA/SP-B fusion protein was successfully expressed. In the CCL149 cell model of acute lung injury (ALI), the green fluorescence of rPA/SP-B is mainly distributed on the CCL149 cell membrane. The rPA/SP-B fusion protein can reduce the disorder of phospholipid molecules and reduce cell membrane damage. The enzyme activity of rPA/SP-B fusion protein was 3.42, and the fusion protein still had good enzyme activity.

CONCLUSION

The recombinant eukaryotic plasmid pEZ-rPA/SP-B is constructed and can be expressed in the eukaryotic system. Studies have shown that rPA/SP-B fusion protein maintains good SP-B lung surface activity and rPA enzyme activity in acute lung injury cell model.

Advanced Therapeutic Strategies for Chronic Lung Disease Using Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery

Chronic lung diseases include a variety of obstinate and fatal diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung cancers. Pharmacotherapy is important for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, and current progress in nanoparticles offers great potential as an advanced strategy for drug delivery. Based on their biophysical properties, nanoparticles have shown improved pharmacokinetics of therapeutics and controlled drug delivery, gaining great attention. Herein, we will review the nanoparticle-based drug delivery system for the treatment of chronic lung diseases. Various types of nanoparticles will be introduced, and recent innovative efforts to utilize the nanoparticles as novel drug carriers for the effective treatment of chronic lung diseases will also be discussed.

Lung endothelium targeting for pulmonary embolism thrombolysis

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary embolism occurs frequently in hospitalized patients. Thrombolytic therapy, currently used as the major treatment, has often been associated with severe bleeding complications and has thereby been life-threatening. We have developed a novel therapeutic method based on our newly created pulmonary endothelium-specific antibody.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We isolated membrane proteins of rat pulmonary vascular luminal endothelium and obtained a monoclonal antibody, RE8F5, which antigen was uniquely expressed by the pulmonary capillary endothelium. In vivo biodistribution showed that RE8F5 and its urokinase conjugate were rapidly and specifically accumulated in lung. Urokinase and the conjugate were compared in rats with pulmonary, hepatic, and lower-limb embolus. In a pulmonary embolus model, the conjugate exhibited 12-fold enhanced thrombolytic potency over urokinase, whereas plasma fibrinogen and bleeding time were unaffected. In 2 other models, no significant thrombolysis was induced by the conjugate. In contrast, thrombolysis by urokinase was found to be comparable to the pulmonary embolus model. In addition, urokinase caused significant consumption of fibrinogen in all experiments.

CONCLUSIONS

These data show that urokinase equipped with lung endothelium-specific antibody is an ideal treatment for pulmonary embolism, with a high efficacy of thrombolysis and low risk of bleeding.