Nanomedicine for Treatment of Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Sadikot, Ruxana T.; Kolanjiyil, Arun V.; Kleinstreuer, Clement; Rubinstein, Israel

Sepsis is the most common cause of ALI and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite timely and appropriate administration of antibiotics, the host inflammatory response can be overwhelming, leading to multiorgan failure and death [8] . Additionally, there has been an emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which continues to be a pressing threat. Besides antibiotics, alternative approaches to enhance bacterial clearance, such as physical destruction of bacteria or separating bacteria from the blood, are being developed [43] . Microfluidic-micromagnetic separation of bacteria has been studied in vitro in order to develop novel methods to remove bacteria from the bloodstream. It has also been proposed that bacteria can be cleared by physical destruction. In experimental models, such approaches using photodynamic therapy have been shown to destroy bacteria. Lee et al. [44] developed an approach for clearing bacteria from the bloodstream by using magnetic nanoparticles modified with a synthetic ligand, zinc-coordinated bis(dipicolylamine). This methodology can be utilized for highly selective and rapid separation of bacteria and their toxins from whole blood using a magnetic microfluidic device.