Summary
The particle size and distribution of size of emulsions intended for intravenous administration is critical for the safety of the patient owing to the dangers of embolism. However, methods of measuring the size are limited in accuracy in the micrometre and sub‐micrometre range. The use of a laser centrifugal photosedi‐mentometer (LCP) is described which is capable of detecting particles down to 002 m̈m and would appear to be eminently suitable for characterizing emulsion systems in the critical size range. The instrument has been applied to a new drug vehicle containing diazepam which is based on intravenous nutritional emulsions. This emulsion was shown to have a mean particle diameter of 0–2 m̈m, comparable with literature values for chylomicra and similar to previous experimental results on intravenous emulsions. This suggests that the drug formulation is suitable for clinical application, especially as'animal studies indicate that it has a reduced toxicity when compared to propylene glycol injection solutions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.