Targeting delivery of aerosols to different lung regions.
With the increasing use of aerosolized drugs, there is a need to understand the means by which these drugs can most effectively be targeted to desired regions of the lung. Several attempts have been made at targeting aerosols in the lung by changing particle sizes and breathing patterns with varying degrees of success. Recent use of such techniques as shallow, aerosol bolus delivery and extremely slow inhalations of aerosols in diagnostic lung tests may also prove beneficial for targeting drug delivery to the conducting airways. This review discusses the potential for utilizing aerosol delivery techniques for selectively targeting aerosol deposition along both serial and parallel pathways in the lung. Based on a review of previous studies concerning factors that determine aerosol and gas distribution in the lung, the potential for utilizing various breathing techniques in concert with variations in particle sizes are considered. Further research on the factors that determine distribution of aerosol in the diseased lung may help in designing successful targeting strategies for the future.
Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, CB 7310, 104 Mason Farm Road, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. William_Bennett@med.unc.edu
William D
WD
Bennett
James S
JS
Brown
Kirby L
KL
Zeman
Shu-Chieh
SC
Hu
Gerhard
G
Scheuch
Knut
K
Sommerer
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000336:Aerosols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010316:Particle Size
D000336:Aerosols