Liposome-Based Nanoparticle Delivery Systems for Lung Diseases: Opportunities and Challenges

Xi Zhang,1,* Shiju Tu,1,* Jiahua Tian,1,* Yan Liang,1,2 Yiling An,1 Tianyou Zhang,1 Hongyun Guan,1 Bo Xiong,1 Li Qin,1 Yunfei Li,1 Ling Gong1 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University (The First People’s Hospital of Zunyi), Zunyi, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medical Laboratory Technology, Harbin Medical University, Daqing, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ling Gong, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University (The First People’s Hospital of Zunyi), Zunyi, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: The role of the lungs as one of the most important organs in the body cannot be overstated. When disease occurs in the lungs, due to the special physiological structure and barriers of the lungs, many drugs is often required to maintain the required blood concentration, which brings unbearable adverse drug reactions to the patients, reduces the tolerance of the patients to the drugs, and affects the effect of disease treatment. As a mature delivery system, liposomes are widely used in major fields, and more importantly, liposome-delivered drugs have been utilized in clinical treatments, effectively reducing the side effects of drugs and achieving excellent efficacy. This review describes in detail the physiological structure and barriers of the lungs and the structure of liposomes; then summarizes the application of liposomes in different lung diseases, as well as its drawbacks and advantages. Finally, we suggest that liposome-delivered nucleic acids are expected to be a new trend and approach for the treatment of lung diseases.Keywords: liposomes, delivery system, lung disease, Lung anatomy