We have developed a way to administer Vitamin E directly to the lung as an inhaled aerosol.

The technique makes very small droplets that deposit in the deepest parts of the lung. This approach enables us to selectively and rapidly deliver large amounts of the antioxidant vitamin E directly into the lung. By comparison, ingestion of vitamin E would take much longer and not achieve such a highly localized concentration. This approach could prove valuable for treating cigarette smokers with emphysema, patients with ARDS, patients with cystic fibrosis, newborns with hyaline membrane disease, lung cancer patients, smoke inhalation victims and other individuals with pulmonary disease. We are currently examining the lung cell proteins that bind and transport vitamin E.