Recent Advances in Nanomaterials for Asthma Treatment

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease with complex mechanisms, and these patients often encounter difficulties in their treatment course due to the heterogeneity of the disease. Currently, clinical treatments for asthma are mainly based on glucocorticoid-based combination drug therapy; however, glucocorticoid resistance and multiple side effects, as well as the occurrence of poor drug delivery, require the development of more promising treatments. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has been extensively researched in the medical field. Several studies have shown that drug delivery systems could significantly improve the targeting, reduce toxicity and improve the bioavailability of drugs. The use of multiple nanoparticle delivery strategies could improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs compared to traditional delivery methods. Herein, the authors presented the mechanisms of asthma development and current therapeutic methods. Furthermore, the design and synthesis of different types of nanomaterials and micromaterials for asthma therapy are reviewed, including polymetric nanomaterials, solid lipid nanomaterials, cell membranes-based nanomaterials, and metal nanomaterials. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of these nanomaterials are discussed to provide guidance for further research directions and hopefully promote the clinical application of nanotherapeutics in asthma treatment.

Keywords: asthma; biomedical polymers; drug delivery; nanomaterials; nanoparticles.

Figure 1

Variety of nanoparticles (NPs) used in the treatment of asthma.

Figure 2

Structure of polymers for the treatment of asthma: (A) CS, (B) PAMAM, (C) PLGA, (D) PHPMA.

Figure 3

(A) The application of chitosan loaded baicalein nanoparticles (L-B-NPs) for asthma treatment. Reproduced with permission from [31], © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. (B) The chitosan-based swellable microparticles for loading budesonide reduced the levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in-vivo and improved pathophysiology. Reproduced with permission from Statistics: aa p <0.01; *** p <0.001 vs. control group; ### p < 0.001, ## p < 0.01, # p < 0.05 vs. model group [34], © 2022 Elsevier B.V. (C) HA decorated, FA loaded CS nanoparticles (FACHA NPs) were administered by nebulization and exerted a therapeutic effect on OVA-sensitized and challenged asthmatic mice. (D) FACHA NPs did not cause significant damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas or spleen in vivo. Reproduced with permission from [36], © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Figure 4

(A) The treatment of CS-Arg/TCEP nanogels for asthma. (B) TEM images of mucin and mixtures of mucin with different samples. (C) Antibacterial experiments of CS-Arg/TCEP nanogels. Reproduced with permission from (1) 1 h and (2) 24 h pictures of the inhibition of different samples against S. aureus aureus. (3) Quantitative of (1-2). (4) 1 h and (5) 24 h pictures of the inhibition of different samples against E. coli aureus. (6) Quantitative of (4-5). Statistics: ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001. [38], Copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society.

Figure 5

(A) Immunofluorescence images of A549 cells. (B) Exemplar photomicrograph of lung tissues from all the experimental groups stained by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Masson’s trichrome (MT), and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Reproduced with permission from [49], © 2022 Elsevier Inc.

Figure 6

(A) Schematic illustration of the mucus penetration study. (B) Mucus penetration visualization of the different sample groups. (C) Appropriate or excessive PEG could simultaneously overcome the mucus barrier and macrophage uptake. Reproduced with permission from [50] © 2022 Acta Materialia Inc.

Figure 7

(A) The schematic representation of EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aos^{smart silencer}. (B) In vivo tracking and tissue distribution of EM-PLGA@Dnmt3aos^{smart silencer} in mice. Reproduced with permission from [51] © 2022 Elsevier B.V.