Delivery of aerosolized itraconazole directly to the lungs shows promise for reducing deaths from aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients.
The studies presented in this article, all of which use a mouse model, demonstrate the effectiveness of delivering itraconazole as an aerosol for the treatment of an acute fungal infection in the lung. The first part of the article describes the administration of itraconazole nanoparticles using a nebulizer and demonstrates that effective lung concentrations may be achieved by this delivery method. The second part describes the determination of a therapeutic level that would be required for treating a lung infection. The final part demonstrates the effectiveness of inhaled itraconazole therapy compared to Sporanox liquid administered orally for treating pulmonary aspergillosis in mice.