title: Comparison of a respiratory suspension aerosolized by an air-jet and an ultrasonic nebulizer.
abstract: In the absence of USP standards and performance monographs, this research sought to determine if differences in the aerosolization mechanism (air-jet vs. ultrasonic) affected droplet and insoluble particle deposition of a nebulized model respiratory suspension. Five milliliters of a model suspension containing 0.1% w/v fluorescein (to estimate droplet deposition) and known quantities of 1, 3, and 6 microns latex spheres (representing insoluble drug particles) was aerosolized from an air-jet and an ultrasonic nebulizer. Nebulized output was collected in a modified Andersen impactor. Samples were analyzed spectrophotometrically (490.5 nm) and by a Coulter Counter to estimate droplet and sphere deposition, respectively. The distribution of droplets throughout the modified impactor for both nebulizers suggested that both the air-jet and the ultrasonic nebulizer produced droplets (0.4 to 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter) large enough to incorporate 1, 3, and 6 microns insoluble spheres. However, Coulter Counter analysis of the sphere distribution revealed that while the air-jet nebulized output contained spheres of all sizes, this was not true for the ultrasonic nebulizer. In the ultrasonic nebulizer, 99% of the spheres (irrespective of size) were not aerosolized and were recovered from the nebulizer reservoir at the aerosolization end point. The results highlight the importance of evaluating performance of a respiratory suspension in combination with a specific nebulizer. When conducting in vitro inertial deposition testing of a respiratory suspension, it is inappropriate to assume that deposition trends of droplets will predict the deposition of the insoluble dispersed phase.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baltimore 21201, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tiano
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Dalby
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D002138:Calibration; D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007840:Latex; D008863:Microspheres; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D013535:Suspensions / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D014465:Ultrasonics
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007840:Latex; D013535:Suspensions