Drug delivery dynamics of biopolymer-protein based nanostructures cues via experimental approach and mathematical modeling

Abstract

Respiratory diseases are leading the burden in public health, usually found in the top chart of leading causes of death for many countries. Moreover, COVID-19 has aggravated this situation, having numerous patients with mild to severe symptoms. Besides, lung tissue inflammation and mucus overproduction are critical factors in patients’ comorbidity, not only for COVID-19 but also in other pulmonary diseases. In this project, the aim was to integrate the natural therapeutics curcumin (with a studied anti-inflammatory effect) and papain (a proteolytic enzyme used for mucus degradation) into a drug delivery nanostructure to administer intranasally. To reach this goal, curcumin was encapsulated in alginate particles with the emulsion-gelation method, obtaining an encapsulation efficiency of 81.23%. Also, curcumin particles showed a mean size of 500.8 nm, and a surface charge of -23.5 mV. Nonetheless, more studies are required to fully understand the emulsion system to obtain smaller and less disperse particles. Also, bioavailability and efficacy test are required to confirm feasibility of the project. In summary, nanoencapsulation in alginate via emulsion-gelation method has shown promising results for enhancing the curcumin solubility, bioavailability, and stability, to develop more efficient pulmonary treatments against inflammation.