Formulation and physical characterization of large porous particles for inhalation.

PURPOSE: Relatively large (>5 microm) and porous (mass density <0.4 g/cm3) particles present advantages for the delivery of drugs to the lungs, e.g., excellent aerosolization properties. The aim of this study was, first, to formulate such particles with excipients that are either FDA-approved for inhalation or endogenous to the lungs; and second, to compare the aerodynamic size and performance of the particles with theoretical estimates based on bulk powder measurements. METHODS: Dry powders were made of water-soluble excipients (e.g., lactose, albumin) combined with water-insoluble material (e.g., lung surfactant), using a standard single-step spray-drying process. Aerosolization properties were assessed with a Spinhaler device in vitro in both an Andersen cascade impactor and an Aerosizer. RESULTS: By properly choosing excipient concentration and varying the spray drying parameters, a high degree of control was achieved over the physical properties of the dry powders. Mean geometric diameters ranged between 3 and 15 microm, and tap densities between 0.04 and 0.6 g/cm3. Theoretical estimates of mass mean aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) were rationalized and calculated in terms of geometric particle diameters and bulk tap densities. Experimental values of MMAD obtained from the Aerosizer most closely approximated the theoretical estimates, as compared to those obtained from the Andersen cascade impactor. Particles possessing high porosity and large size, with theoretical estimates of MMAD between 1-3 microm, exhibited emitted doses as high as 96% and respirable fractions ranging up to 49% or 92%, depending on measurement technique. CONCLUSIONS: Dry powders engineered as large and light particles, and prepared with combinations of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) excipients, may be broadly applicable to inhalation therapy.

A theoretical model of erosion and macromolecular drug release from biodegrading microspheres.

A theoretical model is outlined for predicting the time evolution of total mass, mean molecular weight, and drug release for the case of a spherical bulk-eroding microsphere, prepared by a double emulsification procedure and containing a hydrophilic drug, such as a protein or peptide. Explicit analytical formulae are derived for calculating the time evolution of measurable macroscopic characteristics, such as drug release or mean molecular weight. Microsphere hydration, polymer erosion, and drug release phases are each described. Results indicate that polymer degradation by only random-chain scission or only end scission (or unzipping) cannot explain experimentally observed kinetics of particle mass loss and molecular weight change; thus, a combined model (incorporating both random and end scission) is proposed. A general methodology for determining the microscopic transport coefficients (such as polymer degradation rate constant or drug diffusion coefficient) from erosion and release data is outlined. This paradigm is applied to the specific case of 50:50 poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres encapsulating glycoprotein 120 (gp 120), a candidate AIDS vaccine. Predictions permit comparisons with experimental data for mean weight- and number-averaged molecular weights, as well as for mass loss and protein release. Other comparisons are made with data appearing in the literature for release of tetanus toxoid from PLA and PLGA microspheres of variable molecular weight. Agreement between theory and experiment is observed.