In this case, the terpenes or their combinations would not only serve as chemical permeation enhancers of drugs with antileishmanial activity but could also contribute to the antiparasitic treatment. This work was financially supported through grants from the Brazilian research funding agencies CNPq, CAPES, FUNAPE and FAPEG. The authors are grateful to the Goiano Institute of Oncology and Hematology (INGOH) and Hemolabor – clinical analysis laboratories for supplying the blood used in this study. Selleck MK 8776 Sebastião A. Mendanha, Jorge L.V. Anjos and Soraia S. Moura are

recipients of fellowships from CAPES. Marize C. Valadares and Antonio Alonso are recipients of research grants from the CNPq. “
“Inhalation is considered a suitable route for both topical and systemic pharmaceutical applications. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary infections are targets for topic inhalation treatment. In addition, inhalation may also be appropriate to treat systemic diseases. Absorption by the lung is high since the alveolar surface is quite large (80–140 m2; (Weibel, 1963)) and the air–blood barrier (0.1–0.2 μm thick) is more permeable than other

epithelial barriers. No other non-invasive application route provides the same systemic bioavailability and Proteases inhibitor speed of action as inhalation. For therapeutic gene delivery via inhalation a lower risk of immunogenicity and toxicity has been reported in cystic fibrosis Phospholipase D1 and alpha-1-trypsin deficiency compared to conventional viral vectors (Roy and

Vij, 2010). Macromolecules for systemic inhalation treatment also include hormones, especially insulin, growth factors, different interleukins and heparin (Siekmeier and Scheuch, 2008). Using nanoparticle-based medication, a more efficient treatment of inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis is expected. Nanoparticle-based medications also offer the possibility of increased mucus layer penetration since they can be designed with positive charge, better mucoadhesive properties, enhancers for drug absorption, mucolytic agents and compounds that open epithelial tight junctions. Using these tools an increased delivery of drugs in nanoparticle-based aerosol formulations is expected (Mansour et al., 2009). Physiological relevant testing of aerosols is needed to assess these nanoparticle formulations but established in vitro systems are rare and complicated to operate. In vivo systems face problems with interspecies differences in the morphology and physiology of the respiratory tract, with the ease of application and low deposition rates. The relevant biological evaluation of nanoparticle-based medication requires a physiological exposure system, and deposition rates should be high enough to also enable cytotoxicity testing required for safety reasons.