Polymeric Fluoroquinolone Microparticles for Pulmonary Drug Delivery: A Review on Characteristics, Drug Release Profile, and Antibacterial Study

Polymeric microparticles have recently gained significant attention as promising carriers for antibiotic administration to the pulmonary route, especially the antibiotics from the fluoroquinolone class. The versatility and efficiency of fluoroquinolones, combined with the stability, biocompatibility, and tunable protection provided by polymeric encapsulation in microparticles, contribute to the effectiveness of fluoroquinolone microparticles in achieving desirable characteristics, particularly precise and controlled drug release in the lungs. Such characteristics, drug release profile, and antibacterial activities are mainly influenced by the physics and chemistry of the fluoroquinolones-polymer system as a whole, formulation parameters, and solvent usage. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive summary of studies and research conducted between 2012 and the present, focusing on the characteristics, drug release profile, and antibacterial investigation of fluoroquinolone microparticles that utilize polymeric formulations for the purpose of delivering drugs to the lungs.