Magnetic Nanodrug Delivery Through the Mucus Layer of Air-Liquid Interface Cultured Primary Normal Human Tracheobronchial Epithelial Cells

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) and highly anisotropic barium hexaferrite (BaFe12O19) nanoparticles were coated with an anti-inflammatory drug and magnetically transported through mucus produced by primary human airway epithelial cells. Using wet planetary ball milling, dl-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid-coated BaFe12O19 nanoparticles (BaNPs) of 1–100 nm in diameter were prepared in water. BaNPs and conventional 20–30-nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles (FeNPs) were then encased in a polymer (PLGA) loaded with dexamethasone (Dex) and tagged for imaging. PLGA-Dex-coated BaNPs and FeNPs were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. Both PLGA-Dex-coated BaNPs and FeNPs were transferred to the surface of a ∼100-μm thick mucus layer of air-liquid interface cultured primary normal human tracheobronchial epithelial (NHTE) cells. Within 30 min, the nanoparticles were pulled successfully through the mucus layer by a permanent neodymium magnet. The penetration time of the nanomedicine was monitored using confocal microscopy and tailored by varying the thickness of the PLGA-Dex coating around the particles.