Development of Cisplatin Nanoparticles as Dry Powder Inhalers for Lung Cancer

Dry powder inhalers offer many advantages in the management, prevention and treatment of various respiratory diseases and also with tumors associated with lungs. The present study investigated the feasibility of formulating Cisplatin loaded Gelatin nanoparticles as colloidal drug carriers and converting them into dry powders by coating with inhalable lactose by freeze drying. The average particle size of Cisplatin gelatin nanoparticles was found to be 314 nm by two step desolvation technique. The mean geometric size of the carrier particles was found to be 2.8 ± 0.3 μm. Freeze dried nanoparticles were further mixed with various grades of inhalable lactoses and filled into hard gelatin capsules. In-vitro drug deposition pattern and physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticulate and conventional dry powder inhaler capsule formulation were compared. Results indicated that the developed gelatin nanoparticulate dry powder inhaler capsules possessed higher respirable fraction of 31.4% as compared to conventional dry powder capsule formulation. The present investigation demonstrates that there is a possibility of delivering the nanoparticles to the lungs by incorporating them into carrier particles by simple adsorption. This provides an innovative path for delivering cytotoxic drugs to the lungs by inhalation.