Abstract

Pulmonary drug delivery has attracted immense attention in recent years, particularly to use the lungs as a means of delivering drugs locally and systemically. Drugs must circumvent three main barriers in order to reach the respiratory bronchioles and the alveolar region. The anatomical barrier consisting of the tracheobronchial tree structure prevents the deposition of pollutants and deleterious particles. The pathological barrier, consisting of the mucus covering the respiratory tract epithelium, affects the clearance of deposit material and absorption profile. The immunological barrier, consisting of alveolar macrophages, acts as a defense mechanism. The integration of nanotechnology with pulmonary drug delivery can make a huge impact in terms of overcoming these barriers and enhancing the therapeutic outcomes of a drug. Drugs that are otherwise unacceptable due to the lack of solubility, toxicity and stability profile could be delivered using nanocarrier systems. This chapter mainly highlights the latest developments on the use of nanocarrier systems in pulmonary delivery. Deposition of nanocarriers in the lungs, and clearance and toxicity aspects of nanocarriers are also discussed.