Lipid-based carriers: manufacturing and applications for pulmonary route.
BACKGROUND
Recent advances in aerosol therapy have sparked considerable interest in the development of novel drug delivery systems for pulmonary route. Development of colloidal carriers as pharmaceutical drug delivery systems has spurred an exponential growth; the encapsulation of bioactive molecules into relatively inert and non-toxic carriers for in vivo delivery constitutes a promising approach for improving their therapeutic index while reducing the side effects. Extraordinary success has been made toward improving efficacy by developing lipid-based carriers (LBCs); among classical examples are liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs).


METHODS
The authors review lipid-based colloidal carriers - liposomes and SLNs - as pulmonary drug delivery systems. Conventional methods of liposome preparation and recently developed systems are discussed. Special attention is given to SLNs and their main manufacturing techniques. Finally, a summary of recent scientific publications and important results in the field of pulmonary lipidic carriers are presented. Some practical considerations regarding the toxicological concerns of such systems are briefly cited.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite several scientific investigations, numerous advantages and encouraging results, LBCs for pulmonary route have attained only few great achievements as many challenges still remain. Problems limiting the use of such system seem to be the complexity of the respiratory tract as well as the lack of toxicity assessment risks of colloidal carriers.
Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire d'Automatique et de Génie des Procédés, UMR 5007, CNRS, CPE, 43 bd du 11 Novembre, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
Chiraz
C
Jaafar-Maalej
Abdelhamid
A
Elaissari
Hatem
H
Fessi
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*
D004337:Drug Carriers; D008055:Lipids; D008081:Liposomes