Dry powder formulation for pulmonary infections: Ciprofloxacin loaded in chitosan sub-micron particles generated by electrospray

Electrospray was used as a one-step technique to generate inhalable ciprofloxacin-loaded chitosan sub-micron particles with potential use in the treatment of pulmonary infections. The effect of operating parameters was studied and the preparation method optimized. The final sizes of ciprofloxacin-loaded particles were 386.1 +/- 248.5 nm and 501.1 +/- 276.3 nm for high and low molecular weight chitosan, respectively. The high surface charge of the particles formed, around +45 mV, enhances their mucoadhesive properties. The particles were biocompatible with alveolar cell line (A549), and showed a high antimicrobial activity against two of the most common respiratory pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Automated summary

Electrospray technique was utilized to produce inhalable ciprofloxacin-loaded chitosan sub-micron particles, which had small sizes and high surface charge for enhanced mucoadhesive properties and antimicrobial activity against common respiratory pathogens. The particles showed biocompatibility with alveolar cell line (A549) and promising results in antimicrobial efficacy.