Recent trends and applications of nanostructure-based drug delivery in alleviating pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible fatal chronic disease of lungs, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) imbalance, and scar formation in the lungs, resulting in severe breathing problems, cough, dyspnea, functional failure of the lungs, impaired quality of life and even death. A recent data on pulmonary fibrosis from various countries shows high mortality rates. As of date, there is no effective clinical treatment to completely cure pulmonary fibrosis. However, conventional symptomatic treatment is available. Anti-fibrotic drugs like pirfenidone and nintedanib are available currently as part of the conventional treatment. Novel therapeutic strategies involving targeted drug delivery via nanostructures has been shown to have enormous potential. Based on their unique physical properties, nanostructures have demonstrated the potential to improve the pharmacokinetics of loaded medications. The main goal of this review is to present a complete spectrum of therapeutics based on nanostructures for the treatment and management of pulmonary fibrosis. These include nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, solid-lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes, and nanoemulsions. This advanced platform may pave a new path to pulmonary fibrosis clinics.