Triclosan and ⍺-bisabolol–loaded nanocapsule functionalized with ascorbic acid as a dry powder formulation against A549 lung cancer cells

Lung cancer is between the primary causes of cancer death showing a high mortality rate. Traditional therapies lead to serious side-effects pushing the development of new and more specific treatments. This study proposes an innovative inhalable powder intended for lung cancer on-site action, by developing new nanocapsules functionalized powder formulation carrying triclosan, dispersed in α-bisabolol and functionalized with ascorbic acid. Nanocapsules were obtained by interfacial deposition of the preformed polymer method. Functionalization was performed via a three-step interfacial reaction process forming a chitosan-iron-ligand complex. After spray-drying, powders were obtained using two strategies. All formulations were characterized and had their antiproliferative activities tested, along with their irritability potential. Functionalized nanocapsules were subsequently spray-dried to produce dispersible powders. Using combined data from infrared spectroscopy was observed an interaction between the components after each step of the surface functionalization. The same components interactions were verified before and after obtaining the powder, which were adequate for lung administration, suffering deposition mainly in the respirable fraction within 15 min. The powder showed an effective concentration against lung cancer cells (A549), with nontoxic effects in irritability assay. By the results, the formulation can be administered at safe triclosan concentrations. Thus, the proposed formulations are appropriate and promising candidates for further research in lung cancer treatment.