Nanostructured lipid carriers loaded with dexamethasone prevent inflammatory responses in primary non-parenchymal liver cells

MEDINA MONTANO C; RIVERO BERTI I; GAMBARO R; LIMERES MJ; SVENSSON M; PADULA G; CHAIN CY; CISNEROS SJ; CASTRO RG; GRABBE S; BROS M; GEHRING S; ISLAN GA; CACICEDO M

Pharmaceutics

MDPI

Año: 2022 vol. 14 p. 2 - 19

1999-4923

Liver inflammation represents a major clinical problem in a wide range of pathologies. Among the strategies to prevent liver failure, dexamethasone (DXM) has been widely used to suppress inflammatory responses. The use of nanocarriers for encapsulation and sustained release of glucocorticoids to liver cells could provide a solution to prevent severe side effects associated with systemic delivery as the conventional treatment regime. Here we describe a nanostructuredlipid carrier developed to efficiently encapsulate and release DXM. This nano-formulation proved to be stable over time, did not interact in vitro with plasma opsonins, and was well tolerated by primary non-parenchymal liver cells (NPCs). Released DXM preserved its pharmacological activity, as evidenced by inducing robust anti-inflammatory responses in NPCs. Taken together, nanostructuredlipid carriers may constitute a reliable platform for the delivery of DXM to treat pathologies associated with chronic liver inflammation.