Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
have a wide variety of choice and formulation strategies to target specific regions of the lung to be
retained within the lung for longer periods. The first feature of NPs is their pulmonary deposition
mode, whereby the particles will be deposited throughout the alveolar region. Because of their size,
nanometric particles can enter the extrapulmonary organs. Thus, insoluble NPs pass through the
barriers and are distributed to various organs throughout the body, including the brain. Despite the
many promising proofs of concepts of various delivery technologies, there is still a long way ahead
that must be covered. There are still many challenges that are being faced by the academic and
industrial scientists to improve formulations and make a decisive impact.
There are currently no established guidelines for determining the potential toxicity of engineered
nanomaterials in the lung or any other organ. Improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of respi-
ratory diseases as a result of the application of nanotechnology are anticipated, and experimental
evidence indicates that engineered NPs have unique properties that may render them beneficial in
visualizing disease processes earlier and in delivering therapeutics to the lung, possibly even to
specific areas within the lung. It is anticipated that the continued investigation into the mechanisms
underlying the adverse
in vitro
and
in vivo
effects summarized in this chapter and their relevance
to lung physiology will lead to a better understanding of the potential hazards associated with
NP exposures and to the development of safe and effective respiratory medical applications and
therapeutics based on nanotechnology. Further research efforts are needed to ensure the safety of
long-term,
in vivo
applications and the scaled-up development from the laboratory to the industry in
order to reach, within a few years, the safety and large-scale production at affordable costs of inno-
vative lung delivery technologies. Also, complete knowledge of the possible biodistribution fate, as
well as toxicity profiling of nanomedicines, is immensely important to regard nanotherapeutics as
generally regarded as safe (GRAS).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the UH-Hilo College of Pharmacy for providing start-up financial
support to our research group. We acknowledge the research support of Leahi Fund to Treat &
Prevent Pulmonary Disease of the Hawai'i Community Foundation, Honolulu, HI, USA and seed
grant from The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, HI, USA.
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