Pulmonary Pharmacokinetics of Polymer Lung Surfactants Following Pharyngeal Administration in Mice

We have recently discovered that pulmonary administration of nanoparticles (micelles) formed by amphiphilic poly­(styrene–block–ethylene glycol) (PS–PEG) block copolymers has the potential to treat a lung disorder involving lung surfactant (LS) dysfunction (called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)), as PS–PEG nanoparticles are capable of reducing the surface tension of alveolar fluid, while they are resistant to deactivation caused by plasma proteins/inflammation products unlike natural LS. Herein, we report studies of the clearance pathways and kinetics of PS–PEG nanoparticles from the lung, which are essential for designing further preclinical IND-enabling studies. Using fluorescently labeled PS–PEG nanoparticles, we found that, following pharyngeal aspiration in mice, the retention of these nanoparticles in the lungs extends over 2 weeks, while their transport into other (secondary) organs is relatively insignificant. An analysis based on a multicompartmental pharmacokinetic model suggests a biphasic mechanism involving a fast mucociliary escalator process through the conducting airways and much slower alveolar clearance processes by the action of macrophages and also via direct translocation into the circulation. An excessive dose of PS–PEG nanoparticles led to prolonged retention in the lungs due to saturation of the alveolar clearance capacity.