Acute lung inflammation (ALI) is a disease caused by many factors including cigarette smoke (CS) exposure. Natural products have demonstrated interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities able to prevent the damage caused in the lungs by CS. Annatto seed alkaline extract is rich in a pigment called bixin, which has a potent antioxidant effect but is too poorly hydrophilic, making it difficult to use in oral treatments and putting it as an attractive molecule for been loaded on polymeric nanoparticles. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to develop and characterize nanoparticles of bixin (npBX) and to conduct initial tests in vivo with oral treatment of ALI induced by CS in C57BL/6 mice with npBX. Bixin was purified from annatto seeds with a high degree of purity and rigorously characterized. Nanoparticles were developed using the interfacial deposition method and showed a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 23.7 ± 0.2 nm, polydispersity index of 0.226 ± 0.006, zeta potential of − 21.69 ± 9.90 mV, and drug loading of approximately 24.23 ± 0.41 mg/g. Treatment with npBX prevented increases in superoxide anion and total bronchoalveolar lavage leukocyte levels in mice exposed to CS. These data provide support for npBX as a promising therapeutic tool for lung diseases.

急性肺部炎症（ALI）是由许多因素引起的疾病，包括接触香烟烟雾（CS）。天然产物已显示出令人感兴趣的抗氧化剂和抗炎活性，能够防止CS引起的肺部损害。安纳托种子碱性提取物富含一种称为联苯胺的色素，该色素具有强效的抗氧化作用，但亲水性太差，使其难以用于口服治疗，并将其作为有吸引力的分子负载在聚合物纳米颗粒上。因此，在这项研究中，我们旨在开发和表征联蛋白（npBX）的纳米颗粒，并通过口服治疗由CS诱导的npBX的C57BL / 6小鼠体内ALI进行体内试验。从高纯度的安纳托种子中提炼出Bixin，并进行了严格的鉴定。使用界面沉积法开发纳米颗粒，纳米颗粒的平均流体动力学直径为23.7±0.2 nm，多分散指数为0.226±0.006，ζ电位为-21.69±9.90 mV，载药量约为24.23±0.41 mg / g。用npBX进行治疗可防止暴露于CS的小鼠中超氧阴离子和总支气管肺泡灌洗白细胞水平的增加。这些数据支持npBX作为有希望的治疗肺部疾病的工具。