Mapping PET-measured triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) aerosol distribution into deposition by airway generation

The three dimensional (3D) distribution of inhaled drugs was measured using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (Berridge, M.S, Muswick, G.J., Lee, Z., Leisure, G.L., Nelson, A.D., Muzic, R.F. Jr., Miraldi, F., Heald, D.L., 1997. PET evaluation of Azmacort(R) ([C-11]triamcinolone acetonide) dose administration. J. Nucl. Med. 38 (5) Suppl., 4-5). Data analysis was based upon regional ratios or penetration indices. To improve the analytical usefulness and objectivity, labeled drug from dynamic PET images was mapped into 23 airway generations following a general framework from a SPECT-based methodology (Fleming, J.S., Nassim, M.A., Hashish, A.H., Bailey, A.G. , Conway, J., Holgate, S., Halson, P., Moore, E., Martonen, T.B., 1995. Description of pulmonary deposition of radiolabeled aerosol by airway generation using a conceptual three dimensional model of lung morphology. J. Aerosol Med. 8, 341-356). A recently developed airway network model was used in this study. Quantitative PET scans of [C-11]triamcinolone acetonide distribution in the lung were determined following administration of Azmacort(R), a commercial metered dose inhaler with an integrated spacer device. Distributions at varying time periods after drug administration were investigated to explore the dynamics and kinetics of the aerosolized drug. Initially, deposition of labeled drug on conducting airways (generations 1-14) was found to be higher than those on acinar airways (generation 15-23), 64% versus 36%. The distribution pattern changed slowly with time. By 47 min, 51% of the dose remaining in the lung was found on conducting airways while 49% was on acinar airways. This study illustrates the value of PET imaging for the evaluation and design of drug formulations.