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Nanoparticles in the lung

Nature Biotechnology volume 28, pages 1275–1276 (2010)Cite this article

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An imaging study begins to define the parameters that control the biodistribution of nanoparticles after pulmonary delivery.

The lungs represent a promising route for drug delivery because of their accessible, large surface area and because the air-blood barrier is rather thin1. After crossing the air-blood barrier, inhaled nanoparticles have been shown to reach detectable levels in the blood circulation and to enter specific cells and tissues5 (Fig. 1). Translocation and accumulation in tissues seem to depend on physicochemical properties of the nanoparticle core and surface5,6,7. Thus far, however, few studies have described nanoparticle transport across the lungs quantitatively5,6.

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Figure 1: Schematic of nanoparticle translocation from the lung epithelium to regional lymph nodes and blood circulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wolfgang G. Kreyling, Stephanie Hirn and Carsten Schleh are at the Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Institute of Lung Biology and Disease, and Focus Network Nanoparticles and Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg/Munich, Germany.,

    Wolfgang G Kreyling, Stephanie Hirn & Carsten Schleh

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  1. Wolfgang G Kreyling
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  2. Stephanie Hirn
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  3. Carsten Schleh
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Correspondence to Wolfgang G Kreyling.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Kreyling, W., Hirn, S. & Schleh, C. Nanoparticles in the lung. Nat Biotechnol 28, 1275–1276 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1735

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