Treatment of respiratory diseases and infections has proved to be a challenging
task, with the incidence of these ailments increasing worldwide. Nanotechnologybased
drug and gene delivery systems offer a possible solution to some of the
shortfalls of the current treatment regimen. Nanobased drug delivery systems
have revolutionised the field of pharmacotherapy by presenting the ability to
alter the pharmacokinetics of the conventional drugs to extend the drug retention
time, reduce the toxicity and increase the half-life of the drugs. Delivery of
exogenous genes to the airway epithelium in vivo has been limited by several
physiological barriers, resulting in the low success rate of these systems. With the
advent of nanotechnology, DNA compacted with cationic polymers to produce
nanoparticles has exhibited a significant increase in the transfection efficiencies.
With nanoparticulate drug/gene delivery systems, specific cells can be targeted by
functionalising the polymeric nanoparticles with ligands that allow the particles to
dock at a specific site of the cell. In addition, polymeric systems allow for the cargo
to be released in a controlled and stimuli-responsive manner. The advantages that
nanoparticulate delivery systems present in the treatment of respiratory diseases
and infections are summarised in this review