August 24, 2016 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
1100 North University Ave
Room 2548
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Inhalable Nanoparticles, the role of macrophages
Raimar Löbenberg
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

Nano-sized drug delivery systems are an emerging field in biomedical sciences. Delivery systems in the nanometer range are very promising drug carriers due to their ability to overcome many limitations associated with conventional drug delivery systems including multi-drug resistance in cancer treatment. Advances in dry powder inhalers and the development of suitable carriers for nano-medical drug delivery systems enable the application of nano-medical treatment strategies to the pulmonary route of administration.

The talk will show strategies for the delivery of nanoparticles to the lungs and how an active release mechanism can be added to carrier particles. Any interaction between the nano-delivery system and the lung surfaces has to be carefully assessed. Strategies to evaluate nanotoxicological aspects between nanoparticles and the lungs surfactants will be discussed. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of doxorubicin loaded nanoparticles using macrophages and lung cancer cells was investigated. After being phagocytosed, inhalable NPs have the ability to induce certain changes in alveolar macrophages to trigger cytokine release. This acute inflammation might have important implications in the treatment of lung cancer as shown by co-treatments with anti-inflammatory drugs.

The application of nano-medical strategies to the pulmonary route of administration has the potential to treat lung specific diseases locally and to overcome current treatment limitation associated with other routes of administration. The development of effervescent inhalable nanoparticles loaded with bioactive molecules is a new delivery platform, which may allow the targeting of lung specific diseases in the future.