Inhaled simvastatin Nanoparticles for inflammatory lung disease.

Aim: Current inhaled treatments are not adequate to treat lung diseases. In this study, a promising nanotechnology has been developed to deliver a potential anti- inflammatory and muco-inhibitory compound, simvastatin, for treatment of inflammatory lung diseases via inhalation.

Material & methods: Simvastatin nanoparticles (SV-NPs) encapsulated with poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic) acid were fabricated using the solvent and anti-solvernt precipitation method.

Results: SV-NPs were found to be stable up to 9 months at 4°C in a freeze-dried form prior to reconsititution. The amount of mucus produced was significantly reduced after SV-NPs treatment on inflamed epithelial cell model and were effective in suppressing the pro-inflammatory markers expression.

Conclusion: This study suggests that SV-NPs nebulisation could potentially be used for the treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases.