In Vitro Studies on Nasal Formulations of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) and Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN)

Abstract

The nasal route has been used for many years for the local treatment of nasal diseases. More recently, this route has been gaining momentum, due to the possibility of targeting the central nervous system (CNS) from the nasal cavity, avoiding the blood−brain barrier (BBB). In this area, the use of lipid nanoparticles, such as nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), in nasal formulations has shown promising outcomes on a wide array of indications such as brain diseases, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and gliomas. Herein, the state of the art of the most recent literature available on in vitro studies with nasal formulations of lipid nanoparticles is discussed. Specific in vitro cell culture models are needed to assess the cytotoxicity of nasal formulations and to explore the underlying mechanism(s) of drug transport and absorption across the nasal mucosa. In addition, different studies with 3D nasal casts are reported, showing their ability to predict the drug deposition in the nasal cavity and evaluating the factors that interfere in this process, such as nasal cavity area, type of administration device and angle of application, inspiratory flow, presence of mucoadhesive agents, among others. Notwithstanding, they do not preclude the use of confirmatory in vivo studies, a significant impact on the 3R (replacement, reduction and refinement) principle within the scope of animal experiments is expected. The use of 3D nasal casts to test nasal formulations of lipid nanoparticles is still totally unexplored, to the authors best knowledge, thus constituting a wide open field of research.

Pathogens in exacerbations of chronic rhinosinusitis differ in sensitivity to silver nanoparticles

“…In our study, to assess the cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles, we used primary HNEpC cells, which are the most reliable two-dimensional in vitro model of the nasal epithelium [41]. We observed that the AgNPs were nontoxic to epithelial cells in concentrations that inhibited the growth of all bacterial isolates tested when incubated with the cells for 24 hours.…”

Lipid-Based Nanocarrier Systems for Drug Delivery: Advances and Applications

“…103,104,110 In recent years, due to the biodegradable and biocompatible characteristics, 111 SLN and NLC have shown potential success for several administration routes in medicine, such as for oral, [112][113][114][115] dermal, [116][117][118] parenteral, 119 ocular, 120,121 pulmonary, 122 and brain targeting. 7,[123][124][125][126] SLN and NLC applied to the skin can improve stability, drug targeting and penetration, and increase skin hydration compared with other drug nanocarriers. Therefore, they are considered as promising DDSs in treating skin disorders.…”

Dermal Drug Delivery of Phytochemicals with Phenolic Structure via Lipid-Based Nanotechnologies

“…Regarding their structure, suitable features for topical application include the drug-enriched shell nanoparticles, providing rapid drug release, which along with the occlusive effect is a favorable characteristic when increased drug penetration is necessary [288,293]. The disadvantages of SLNs, such as the tendency for drug expulsion or low drug loading capacity due to the ideal crystalline structure of the lipids, provide possibilities for further development, including the development of second-generation nanoparticles and structured lipid carriers (NLCs), which overcome the limitations mentioned above [284,294].…”