Performance Testing of a Homemade Aerosol Generator for Pulmonary Administration of Dry Powder Formulations to Mice
Rick Heida,
Paul Hagedoorn,
Melle C. van Meel,
Jurrie E. R. Prins,
Frederike S. Simonis,
Renate Akkerman,
Anke L. W. Huckriede,
Henderik W. Frijlink,
Anne H. de Boer,
Wouter L. J. Hinrichs
Affiliations
Rick Heida
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Paul Hagedoorn
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Melle C. van Meel
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Jurrie E. R. Prins
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Frederike S. Simonis
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Renate Akkerman
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Anke L. W. Huckriede
Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Henderik W. Frijlink
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Anne H. de Boer
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
Wouter L. J. Hinrichs
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
A challenge in the development of dry powder formulations for inhalation is the poor reproducibility of their administration to small laboratory animals. The currently used devices for the pulmonary administration of dry powder formulations to small rodents often function sub-optimally as they use the same puff of air for both powder dispersion and aerosol delivery. As a result, either the air volume and flow rate are too low for complete powder deagglomeration or they are too high for effective aerosol delivery to the lungs of the animal. Therefore, novel and better devices are desired. We here present an aerosol generator designed to administer a pre-generated aerosol to the lungs of mice. By mapping the complex relationship between the airflow rate, delivery time and emitted dose, we were able to control the amount of powder being delivered from the aerosol generator. The emitted aerosol had a size range favorable for lung deposition and could be measured reproducibly. Nevertheless, in vivo fluorescent imaging still revealed considerable differences between the mice in terms of the dose deposited and the distribution of powder over the lungs, suggesting that a certain biological variation in lung deposition is inevitable.
