Analysis of the Particle Formation Process of Structured Microparticles.

The particle formation process for microparticles of cellulose acetate butyrate dried from an acetone solution was investigated experimentally and theoretically. A monodisperse droplet chain was used to produce solution microdroplets in a size range of 55-70 µm with solution concentrations of 0.37 and 10 mg/mL. As the droplets dried in a laminar air flow with a temperature of 30, 40, or 55 °C, the particle formation process was recorded by two independent optical methods. Dried particles in a size range of 10-30 µm were collected for morphology analysis, showing hollow, elongated particles whose structure was dependent on the drying gas temperature and initial solution concentration. The setup allowed comprehensive measurements of the particle formation process to be made, including the period after initial shell formation. The early particle formation process for this system was controlled by the diffusion of cellulose acetate butyrate in the liquid phase, whereas later stages of the process were dominated by shell buckling and folding.

Use of a fundamental approach to spray-drying formulation design to facilitate the development of multi-component dry powder aerosols for respiratory drug delivery.

PURPOSE: A fundamental approach incorporating current theoretical models into aerosol formulation design potentially reduces experimental work for complex formulations. A D-amino acid mixture containing D-Leucine (D-Leu), D-Methionine, D-Tryptophan, and D-Tyrosine was selected as a model formulation for this approach. METHODS: Formulation design targets were set, with the aim of producing a highly dispersible D-amino acid aerosol. Particle formation theory and a spray dryer process model were applied with boundary conditions to the design targets, resulting in a priori predictions of particle morphology and necessary spray dryer process parameters. Two formulations containing 60% w/w trehalose, 30% w/w D-Leu, and 10% w/w remaining D-amino acids were manufactured. RESULTS: The design targets were met. The formulations had rugose and hollow particles, caused by deformation of a crystalline D-Leu shell while trehalose remained amorphous, as predicted by particle formation theory. D-Leu acts as a dispersibility enhancer, ensuring that both formulations: 1) delivered over 40% of the loaded dose into the in vitro lung region, and 2) achieved desired values of lung airway surface liquid concentrations based on lung deposition simulations. CONCLUSIONS: Theoretical models were applied to successfully achieve complex formulations with design challenges a priori. No further iterations to the design process were required.

Engineered nasal dry powder for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds.

In this review, we present the potential of nasal dry powders to deliver stable bioactive compounds and their manufacture using spray-drying (SD) techniques to achieve encapsulation. We also review currently approved and experimental excipients used for powder manufacturing for specific target drugs. Polymers, sugars, and amino acids are recommended for specific actions, such as mucoadhesive interactions, to increase residence time on the nasal mucosa; for example, high-molecular weight polymers, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or mannitol, which protect the bioactive compounds, increase their stability, and enhance drug absorption in the nasal mucosa; and leucine, which promotes particle formation and improves aerosol performance.

Air change rate effects on the airborne diseases spreading in Underground Metro wagons.

The effect of the rate of change of fresh air inside passengers' wagons for Underground Metro on the spreading of airborne diseases like COVID-19 is investigated numerically. The study investigates two extreme scenarios for the location of the source of infection within the wagon with four different air change rates for each. The first scenario considers the source of infection at the closest point to the ventilation system while the other places the infection source at the farthest point from the wagon ventilation system. The effect of the wagon windows' status (i.e. closed or open) is also studied. It is found that under all conditions, open windows are always favored to decrease the infection spreading potential. A higher air change rate also decreases the infection spreading up to a certain value, beyond which the effect is not noticeable. The location of the infection source was found to greatly affect the infection spreading as well. The paper gives recommendations on the minimum air change rate to keep the infection spreading potentials to a minimum considering different times the passengers stay in the wagon.

Manufacturing and device options for the delivery of biotherapeutics.

Biotherapeutic aerosol formulations are an intense area of interest for systemic and local drug delivery. This article provides a short overview of typical factors required specifically for biotherapeutic aerosol formulation design, the processing options open for consideration, and the issue of inhalation device selection. Focusing on spray drying, four case studies are used to highlight the relevant issues, describing investigations into: (1) the mechanical stresses occurring in bacteriophage formulations during spray-dryer atomization; (2) modeling of the spray-dryer process and droplet drying kinetics, to assist process design and predictions of formulation stability; (3) a predictive approach to the design and processing of a five-component dry powder aerosol formulation; and (4) the survival of bacteriophages after pressurized metered dose inhaler atomization.

Low-frequency shift dispersive Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of respirable dosage forms.

A high performance Raman system equipped with a CCD (charged coupled device) sensor and recently developed optical filter technology is described. It provides high sensitivity, high resolution, and access to low-frequency vibrations enabling resolution of spectral features due to lattice vibrational modes and internal vibrational modes, greatly improving the ability to detect small changes due to variations in the three dimensional molecular arrangement, e.g., during loss of crystallinity. Applications to solid state analysis, such as solid phase identification and differentiation of glycopyrronium bromide and formoterol fumarate in pharmaceutical powders, and identification of active pharmaceutical ingredients, e.g., salmeterol xinafoate, fluticasone propionate, mometasone furoate, and salbutamol sulphate, as well as excipients, e.g., amino acids, in different formulations, are presented. For the first time, low-frequency shift Raman spectra of mannitol polymorphs were measured and used for solid phase identification. Unambiguous identification of two similar bronchodilator metered dose inhalers, Ventolin(®) HFA and Airomir(®), was accomplished. The low-frequency shift Raman signals can be used for the analysis of crystallinity of small samples (<5mg) of respiratory dosage forms in a multi-component formulation matrix containing less than 3% by weight of the component of interest.