Is there a role for inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs in cystic fibrosis treatment?

Preparation and Characterization of Ibuprofen Containing Nano-Embedded-Microparticles for Pulmonary Delivery

A fatal hereditary condition, cystic fibrosis (CF) causes severe lung problems. Ibuprofen (IBU), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, slows the progression of disease without causing significant side effects. Considering the poor water-solubility of the drug, IBU nanoparticles are beneficial for local pulmonary administration. We aimed to formulate a carrier-free dry powder inhaler containing nanosized IBU. We combined high-performance ultra-sonication and nano spray-drying. IBU was dissolved in ethyl acetate; after that, it was sonicated into a polyvinyl alcohol solution, where it precipitated as nanoparticles. Mannitol and leucine were added when producing dry particles using nano-spray drying. The following investigations were implemented: dynamic light scattering, laser diffraction, surface tension measurement, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, in vitro dissolution test, and in vitro aerodynamic assessment (Andersen Cascade Impactor). The particle diameter of the IBU was in the nano range. The spray-dried particles showed a spherical morphology. The drug release was rapid in artificial lung media. The products represented large fine particle fractions and proper aerodynamic diameters. We successfully created an inhalable powder, containing nano-sized IBU. Along with the exceptional aerodynamic performance, the ideal particle size, shape, and drug-release profile might offer a ground-breaking local therapy for CF.

A comprehensive analysis of meloxicam particles produced by nanosecond laser ablation as a wet milling technique

Recently, the number of water insoluble and poorly soluble drug compounds has increased significantly. Therefore, growing interest has been witnessed in different particle size reduction techniques to improve the dissolution rates, transport characteristics and bioavailability of drugs. Laser ablation has proven to be an alternative method to the production of nano- and micrometre-sized drug particles without considerable chemical damage. We present the nanosecond laser ablation of drug pastilles in distilled water, targeting meloxicam, a poorly water soluble nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, at different laser wavelengths (248 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm). Besides chemical characterization, crystallinity, morphology and particle size studies, the mechanism of the particle generation process was examined. The applicability of ablated particles in drug formulation was investigated by solubility, cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory effect measurements. We showed that laser ablation is a clean, efficient and chemically non-damaging method to reduce the size of meloxicam particles to the sub-micrometre–few micrometre size range, which is optimal for pulmonary drug delivery. Complemented by the excellent solubility (four to nine times higher) and anti-inflammatory (four to five times better) properties of the particles compared to the initial drug, laser ablation is predicted to have wider applications in the development of drug formulations.

Co-delivery of inhalable therapies: Controlling active ingredients spatial distribution and temporal release

The management of respiratory diseases relies on the daily administration of multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), leading to a lack of patient compliance and impaired quality of life. The frequency and dosage of the APIs result in increased side effects that further worsens the overall patient condition. Here, the manufacture of polymer-polymer core-shell microparticles for the sequential delivery of multiple APIs by inhalation delivery is reported. The microparticles, composed of biodegradable polymers silk fibroin (shell) and poly(L-lactic acid) (core), incorporating ciprofloxacin in the silk layer and ibuprofen (PLLA core) as the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory model APIs, respectively. The polymer-polymer core-shell structure and the spatial distribution of the APIs have been characterized using cutting-edge synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR technique, which was correlated with the respective API sequential release profiles. The APIs microparticles had a suitable size and aerosol properties for inhalation therapies (≤4.94 ± 0.21μm), with low cytotoxicity and immunogenicity in healthy lung epithelial cells. The APIs compartmentalization obtained by the microparticles not only could inhibit potential actives interactions but can provide modulation of the APIs release profiles via an inhalable single administration.