Formulation and Characterization of Pulmonary Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

The inhalation therapy is one of the oldest drug delivery methods known. The significance of inhalation can be understood notably through its remarkable history. The goals of this review are to explore the pulmonary drug delivery, its significant relevance and various advantageous properties, particularly due to the physiology of the lungs. The drug delivery into the lungs can be provided by several inhalation instruments presently accessible on the market such as nebulizers, MDIs, and DPIs. Supplementary devices suchlike spacers for instance are also available in order to optimize the therapy results. The efficiency of these devices depends on several parameters of the formulation used, as well as its deposition in the lungs. Therefore, this review focuses on the meticulous testing performed on both the formulation and the device carrying it in the interest of insuring safety, quality, and efficacy of the final product. Ultimately, the pulmonary drug delivery represents a substantially advantageous alternative route of administration to obtain a systemic effect as well. This review aims to the better understanding of the development of pulmonary dosage forms and its complex process which requires extensive considerations and thorough optimization.

Image Analysis: A Versatile Tool in the Manufacturing and Quality Control of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

“…Aerodynamic particle size distribution is a key property to estimate the orally inhaled drug content and consequently important in the development of inhalation devices for the specific drugs. Cascade impactors are official in the European Pharmacopoeia, but other than being expensive they are also highly time-consuming [ 39 ]. As an alternative, IA-based methods were developed [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Formulation of Apigenin-Loaded Liposomes for Pulmonary Delivery

“…The pulmonary route is an appropriate drug delivery method with a local effect for respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, with the advances in pharmaceutical drug development, it became an interesting route for systemically acting treatments for conditions such as diabetes, certain types of cancer, and some autoimmune diseases [1].…”

“…The pulmonary drug delivery is a promising route of administration for both small molecules and macromolecules [1].…”

“…the lung deposition is highly influenced by the particle size of the drug. The drug needs to be delivered to its target site while concurrently avoiding the clearance mechanisms and still providing an effective therapy [1].…”

“…IStván AntAL 1 Therefore, we applied spray-dried lactose as a carrier for liposomes. The liposomes consist of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) 5%, 10% and 25%.…”