Mucoadhesive Solid Lipid Microparticles (SLM) for sustained release of corticosteroids to the lungs

Pulmonary delivery is the preferred route of drug administration in the treatment of many respiratory disease, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Over the years, several kinds of carriers have been studied for sustained release of corticosteroids and bronchodilators to the lungs. Solid Lipid Microparticles (SLM) due to their biocompatibility and size (3-5 µm) can reach the bronchial epithelium directly, circumvent first pass metabolism and avoid systemic toxicity [1,2]. In this work we describe the preparation and the characterization of two different systems subjected to chitosan and alginate coating for sustained release of fluticasone propionate (FP) into th…