The inhalation therapy is one of the oldest drug delivery methods known. The significance of inhalation can be understood notably through its remarkable history. The goals of this review are to explore the pulmonary drug delivery, its significant relevance and various advantageous properties, particularly due to the physiology of the lungs. The drug delivery into the lungs can be provided by several inhalation instruments presently accessible on the market such as nebulizers, MDIs, and DPIs. Supplementary devices suchlike spacers for instance are also available in order to optimize the therapy results. The efficiency of these devices depends on several parameters of the formulation used, as well as its deposition in the lungs. Therefore, this review focuses on the meticulous testing performed on both the formulation and the device carrying it in the interest of insuring safety, quality, and efficacy of the final product. Ultimately, the pulmonary drug delivery represents a substantially advantageous alternative route of administration to obtain a systemic effect as well. This review aims to the better understanding of the development of pulmonary dosage forms and its complex process which requires extensive considerations and thorough optimization.
Bioconjugation is an emerging field in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Due to its biocompatibility and high ligand binding capacity, albumin is widely used in modern drug delivery systems. However, the protein is sensitive to environmental stresses; albumin conjugates, on the other hand, have improved functional properties. Biopolymers are gaining interest due to their biodegradability and safety, compared to synthetic polymers. In this study, albumin–biopolymer bioconjugates were prepared by nonenzymatic Maillard reaction at 60 °C and 80% relative humidity. This nonenzymatic conjugation takes place between reducing sugars and available amino groups of a protein in certain conditions. The optimal molar ratio and time for the conjugation were studied by several investigation methods, including circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), and determination of available amino groups with ortho-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) assay. All of the measurements provided evidence for the covalent bonding of albumin and biopolymers, resulting in bioconjugates. Based on the results, a higher molar ratio and longer time are necessary to complete the reaction with the available amino groups. However, the optimal parameters are specific to each given biopolymer. The rheological behavior of the conjugates is characteristic of the initial biopolymer, which can be useful in drug development. Moreover, both the physical characteristics of albumin and the solubility-improving capacity were enhanced. Therefore, the potential use of albumin–biopolymer bioconjugates in the pharmaceutical industry could be considered.
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