Wonders of Nanotechnology in the Treatment for Chronic Lung Diseases

Abstract

Application of nanotechnology has significantly increased in different spheres of life including the drug delivery systems and is being considered to be the technology for near future. The plausibility of non-invasive administration of drug via inhalation and avoidance of first-pass metabolism due to direct delivery at the affected site makes respiratory system as an ideal target port for nano-carrier mediated drug delivery systems. The development of several nanocarrier systems (liposomal, solid-lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles) offers various potential advantages for respiratory drug delivery with reduced and undesirable side-effects. This review emphasizes the application of several nano-carriers for drug delivery particularly in chronic lung diseases. It summarizes the use of different experimental models currently available (in vitro and/ in vivo) to study the risk assessment of nano-carriers. Although nano-medicine based studies suggests that drug delivery systems for systemic and/or local treatment of diseases are promising, yet further research is warranted to elucidate long-term toxicity, deposition and clearance of nanoparticle especially following repeated administration.