A method of delivering a compound of interest to the lungs of a subject by the intravenous injection of Sertoli cells loaded with a plurality of chitosan nanoparticles coupled with the compound of interest is provided. Testis-derived rat Sertoli cells were pre-loaded with chitosan nanoparticles coupled with or without the drug curcumin, pre-labeled with a fluorescent cell marker and then injected intravenously into the control or asthmatic mouse model host. Intact pre-loaded, pre-labeled Sertoli cells were present in the lungs at 15 minutes post-injection, appeared entrapped in the pulmonary pre-capillary vascular bed around alveolar sacs but were not present one hour post-injection although Sertoli cell label and cellular debris was. Most of the of the injected nanoparticle to load (70%) and curcumin load (80%) was present in the lungs 15 minutes post-injection, and remained at 70% and 80%, respectively, one hour post-injection.
