Lung-Targeted Delivery of Cepharanthine by an Erythrocyte-Anchoring Strategy for the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury

The study investigated the use of an erythrocyte-anchoring strategy to improve the delivery of Cepharanthine (CPA) for treating acute lung injury (ALI). By encapsulating CPA in chitosan-coated nanoparticles (CPA-CNPs) and anchoring them to erythrocytes, researchers achieved high adhesion efficiency and limited toxicity. This method reduced cellular uptake by immune cells and extended circulation time, leading to a 6-fold increase in lung accumulation. In an ALI mouse model, these erythrocyte-anchored CPA-CNPs effectively inhibited inflammatory responses, demonstrating improved pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of CPA, and showing promise for targeted lung drug delivery in ALI treatment.