(21b) Development and Physicochemical Characterization of Tacrolimus-Loaded Nanocomposite Microparticles for the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension
AIChE Annual Meeting
2016
2016 AIChE Annual Meeting
Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum
Bionanotechnology for Gene and Drug Delivery I
Sunday, November 13, 2016 - 3:50pm to 4:10pm
To overcome this problem, nanocomposite microparticles (nCmP) in the form of dry powder aerosols can be applied to deliver TAC more safely and effectively. This system is comprised of TAC-loaded acetalated dextran (Ac-Dex) nanoparticles (NP) entrapped in microparticle carriers using the excipient mannitol to allow for the delivery of TAC NP to the lungs. Upon pulmonary administration, the nCmP will deposit on the mucus in the respiratory tract, decompose into free NP and mannitol, and allow the nanoparticles to penetrate the mucus barrier and then release drug to the targeted site in a sustained rate. The goal of the described research was the initial development and physicochemical characterization of the nCmP systems with ability of targeted delivery, improved drug solubility, and potential of efficient penetration of mucus barrier and of controlled release via particle engineering.
The NP were approximately 200 nm in diameter with narrow size distribution both before loading into and after redispersion from nCmP. The NP exhibited smooth, spherical morphology and the nCmP were raisin-like spheres. High encapsulation efficacy was achieved both in the encapsulation of tacrolimus in NP and that of NP in nCmP. nCmP exhibited desirable aerosol dispersion properties allowing them to deposit into the deep lung regions for effective drug delivery. Overall, the designed nCmP system is a promising application in pulmonary TAC delivery for the treatment of PAH due to its novel features including targeted pulmonary delivery, improved solubility of tacrolimus, potential of permeation through mucus barrier, and of controlled drug release