Inhaled curcumin mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles against radiation pneumonitis

作者：Chen, Ting; Zhuang, Bo; Huang, Yueqi; Liu, Yan; Yuan, Bochuan; Wang, Wanmei; Yuan, Tianyu; Du, Lina; Jin, Yiguang^*

来源：Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 2022, 12(5): 2522-2532.

DOI：10.1016/j.apsb.2021.10.027

• Radiation pneumonitis
• Curcumin
• Mesoporous
• Polydopamine
• Nanoparticle
• Pulmonary delivery
• Inhalation
• Free radical scavenging

Radiation therapy is an effective method to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors using high-energy X-ray or gamma-ray. Radiation pneumonitis (RP) is one of the most serious complications of radiation therapy for thoracic cancers, commonly leading to serious respiratory distress and poor prognosis. Here, we prepared curcumin-loaded mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (CMPN) for prevention and treatment of RP by pulmonary delivery. Mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA) were successfully synthesized with an emulsion-induced interface polymerization method and curcumin was loaded in MPDA via pi-pi stacking and hydrogen bonding interaction. MPDA owned the uniform spherical morphology with numerous mesopores that disappeared after loading curcumin. More than 80% curcumin released from CMPN in 6 h and mesopores recovered. CMPN remarkably protected BEAS-2B cells from gamma-ray radiation injury by inhibiting apoptosis. RP rat models were established after a single dose of 15 Gy Co-60 gamma-ray radiation was performed on the chest area. Effective therapy of RP was achieved by intratracheal administration of CMPN due to free radical scavenging and anti-oxidation ability, and reduced proinflammatory cytokines, high superoxide dismutase, decreased malondialdehyde, and alleviated lung tissue damages were observed. Inhaled CMPN paves a new avenue for the treatment of RP.

• 单位
  广东药学院