2. Academic Validation
  3. Spore-inspired inhalation drug delivery system for asthma therapy

Spore-inspired inhalation drug delivery system for asthma therapy

  • Bioact Mater. 2025 Aug 6:53:801-818. doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.07.045.
Mengqi Tong 1 2,  Xi Kuang 1,  Qiaoying Jiang 3,  Gaoxiang Li 1,  Lulu Jin 4,  Yihao Ye 1 5,  Yi Pan 2,  Yang Zhu 2,  Xiaozhou Mou 4,  Zhengwei Mao 2,  Yueliang Zheng 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Emergency and Critical Care Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
  • 2 MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
  • 3 School of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
  • 4 Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
  • 5 The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
PMID: 40809511 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.07.045
Abstract

The delivery efficiency of drugs in the lung is crucial for inhaled therapies targeting pulmonary diseases. However, current inhalation carriers face challenges overcoming pulmonary barriers, leading to insufficient delivery efficiency. To tackle this limitation, we have developed a "spore-inspired" strategy. Ganoderma lucidum spores (GLS) provide dual delivery advantages: their natural morphology promotes bronchial-alveolar deposition while evading macrophage endocytosis, enhancing pulmonary retention. Using these features, a biomimetic carrier called carbonized GLS (cGLS) is created through precise carbonization, which preserves the spores' natural morphological benefits while reducing the immune response and increasing drug-loading capacity. Subsequently, we develop the spore-inspired inhalation drug delivery system BUD-cGLS by loading the asthma medication budesonide (BUD), which facilitates accurate regulation of the "deposition-escape-release" process. In the OVA-induced asthma model, BUD-cGLS significantly reduces airway resistance, suppresses Mucin secretion, and decreases inflammatory cytokines. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of this spore-inspired carrier as a promising inhalation platform for delivering drugs to treat asthma and Other pulmonary diseases.

Keywords

Asthma; Budesonide; Dry powder inhaler; Pulmonary delivery; Spore-inspired carrier.

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