International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jun 2024)
Red Blood Cell-Hitchhiking Delivery of Simvastatin to Relieve Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Abstract
Mengjuan Sun,1,* Jun Wei,1,* Yanhui Su,1,* Yangjingwan He,1 Liang Ge,1 Yan Shen,1 Bohui Xu,2 Yanlong Bi,3 Chunli Zheng1 1Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, People’s Republic of China; 3Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chunli Zheng; Yanlong Bi, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: The purpose of this study is to address the high mortality and poor prognosis associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), conditions characterized by acute and progressive respiratory failure. The primary goal was to prolong drug circulation time, increase drug accumulation in the lungs, and minimize drug-related side effects.Methods: Simvastatin (SIM) was used as the model drug in this study. Employing a red blood cell surface-loaded nanoparticle drug delivery technique, pH-responsive cationic nanoparticles loaded with SIM were non-covalently adsorbed onto the surface of red blood cells (RBC), creating a novel drug delivery system (RBC@SIM-PEI-PPNPs).Results: The RBC@SIM-PEI-PPNPs delivery system effectively extended the drug’s circulation time, providing an extended therapeutic window. Additionally, this method substantially improved the targeted accumulation of SIM in lung tissues, thereby enhancing the drug’s efficacy in treating ARDS and impeding its progression to ARDS. Crucially, the system showed a reduced risk of adverse drug reactions.Conclusion: RBC@SIM-PEI-PPNPs demonstrates promise in ARDS and ARDS treatment. This innovative approach successfully overcomes the limitations associated with SIM’s poor solubility and low bioavailability, resulting in improved therapeutic outcomes and fewer drug-related side effects. This research holds significant clinical implications and highlights its potential for broader application in drug delivery and lung disease treatment.Keywords: acute lung injury, simvastatin, respiratory distress syndrome, pH response