Efficient bioactive delivery of aerosolized drugs to human pulmonary epithelial cells cultured in air-liquid interface conditions.

In inhalation therapy, drugs are deposited as aerosols onto the air-facing lung epithelium. The currently used in vitro cell assays for drug testing, however, typically dissolve drugs in the medium, completely covering the cells, which represents an unphysiological drug application scenario. Although physiologically realistic in vitro cell culture models of the pulmonary air-blood barrier are available, reliable, easy-to-handle, and efficient technologies for direct aerosol-to-cell delivery are lacking.