Caffeine microparticles for nasal administration obtained by spray drying.

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Powder Engineering

Background:

• Nasal drug delivery offers a non-invasive route for systemic and local therapies.
• Developing suitable powder formulations for nasal insufflation requires precise control over particle characteristics.
• Caffeine is a compound with potential therapeutic applications suitable for formulation development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using spray drying to produce caffeine-containing powders for nasal delivery.
• To investigate the influence of different excipients on the properties of spray-dried microparticles.
• To assess the characteristics of caffeine microparticles relevant for nasal administration using a specific insufflator.

Main Methods:

• Spray drying was employed to formulate caffeine with various excipients.
• Characterization of the resulting microparticles included assessment of particle size and morphology.
• Powder delivery performance was evaluated using the Monopowder P nasal insufflator.

Main Results:

• The choice of excipients significantly influenced the microparticle properties.
• Particle size, shape, and tendency for agglomeration were key characteristics affected by excipients.
• The study demonstrated the critical role of excipient selection in tailoring spray-dried powders for nasal delivery.

Conclusions:

• Spray drying is a viable technique for preparing caffeine nasal powder formulations.
• Excipients play a crucial role in controlling microparticle characteristics essential for nasal delivery.
• Optimizing excipient composition is key to achieving desired powder properties for nasal drug administration.