Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences Volume 6 | Issue 2 Article 7 2019 Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases Teodora G. Alexescu Simina Tarmure Vasile Negrean Maria Cosnarovici Victoria M. Ruta See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms Part of the Infectious Disease Commons, Other Medical Specialties Commons, Preventive Medicine Commons, and the Pulmonology Commons Recommended Citation Alexescu, Teodora G.; Tarmure, Simina; Negrean, Vasile; Cosnarovici, Maria; Ruta, Victoria M.; Popovici, Ionela; Para, Ioana; Perne, Mirela G.; Orasan, Olga H.; and Todea, Doina A. (2019) "Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases," Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P224231 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/7 This Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at . Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases Authors Teodora G. Alexescu, Simina Tarmure, Vasile Negrean, Maria Cosnarovici, Victoria M. Ruta, Ionela Popovici, Ioana Para, Mirela G. Perne, Olga H. Orasan, and Doina A. Todea This review article is available in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/7 https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/ https://proscholar.org/jmms/ ISSN: 2392-7674 J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 224-231 doi: 10.22543/7674.62.P224231 Received for publication: June 14, 2019 Accepted: August 21, 2019 Review Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases Teodora G. Alexescu1, Simina Tarmure1, Vasile Negrean1, Maria Cosnarovici2, Victoria M. Ruta3, Ionela Popovici1, Ioana Para1, Mirela G. Perne1, Olga H. Orasan1, Doina A. Todea3 1 Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, 4th Medical Clinic, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 Institute of Oncology Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta, Cluj Napoca, Romania 3 Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Department of Pneumology, ClujNapoca, Romania Abstract Nanoparticles, although considered a topic of modern medicine, actually have an interesting history. Currently, advances in nanomedicine hold great promise as drug carrier systems for sustained release and targeted delivery of diverse therapeutic agents. Nanoparticles can be defined as complex drug carrier systems which incorporate and protect a certain drug or particle. Nanoparticles can be administered via different routes, such as intravenous injection, oral administration, or pulmonary inhalation. Even though the use of nano-carriers via pulmonary inhalation is heavily debated, this system represents an attractive alternative to the intravenous or oral routes, due to the unique anatomical and physiological features of the lungs and the minimal interactions between the targeted site and other organs. Some of the widely used nano-carriers for the treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases, via pulmonary route, are as follows: polymeric nanoparticles, liposomal nano-carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, and submicron emulsions. Nanocarrier systems provide the advantage of sustained-drug release in the lung tissue resulting in reduced dosing frequency and improved patient compliance. Further studies focusing on understanding the mechanisms of action of nanoparticles and improving their chemical structure are required in order to better understand the potential long-term risk of excipient toxicity and nanoscale carriers. Keywords  Highlights ✓ In chronic lung diseases, nano-carrier systems provide the advantage of sustained drug release in lung tissue, resulting in reduced dosing frequency and improved patient compliance. nanoparticles, chronic lung diseases, therapy, sustained drug release, patient compliance ✓ Further studies are required in order to better understand the potential long-term risk of excipient toxicity and nanoscale carriers. To cite this article: Alexescu TG, Tarmure S, Negrean V, Cosnarovici M, Ruta VM, Popovici I, Para I, Perne MG, Orasan OH, Todea DA. Nanoparticles in the treatment of chronic lung diseases. J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 224-231. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P224231 *Corresponding author: Teodora Gabriela Alexescu, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Email: Teodora Gabriela Alexescu et al. Introduction Nanoparticles, although considered a topic of modern medicine, actually have an interesting history, as their use dates back to the 9th century Mesopotamia, where they were used by manufacturers to create a glittering effect on the surface of pots. They were created by mixing copper, silver salts, and oxides, together with vinegar, ochre, and clay, on the surface of previously-glazed pottery. The object was then placed in an oven and heated to about 600°C. The first scientific characterization—no longer in use—in terms of optical properties of nanometric metals was formulated by Michael Faraday in his classic paper “Experimental relations of gold (and other metals) to light”. The paper, both philosophical and scientific, described a series of experiments of ultramicroscopic particles of gold in various liquids, in order to establish whether their optical properties suffer any changes under such conditions. Faraday formulates the following statement: “It is well known that when thin leaves of gold or silver are mounted upon glass and heated to a temperature that is well below a red heat (~500 °C), a remarkable change of properties takes place, whereby the continuity of the metallic film is destroyed. The result is that white light is now freely transmitted, reflection is correspondingly diminished, while the electrical resistivity is enormously increased (1). In the late 1960s, Prof. Speiser at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich developed the first nanoparticles for drug delivery purposes and for vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, and other infections (2). Currently, further advances in nanomedicine hold a great promise as drug carrier systems for sustained release and targeted delivery of diverse therapeutic agents (3). Nanoparticles can be defined as complex drug carrier systems, which incorporate and protect a certain drug or particle (4). Nanoparticles can be administered via different routes, such as intravenous injection, oral administration, and pulmonary inhalation. Due to their submicron sizes, intravenously injected nanoparticles can easily escape the altered blood vessels, such as those found in tumors, trauma, or inflammatory sites. In these pathological lesions, as a result of the defective lymphatic drainage of these tissues, nanoparticles are retained for longer periods of time (5). Using nanoparticles as oral drug carriers can protect the acti (...truncated)