Dual functional pullulan-based spray-dried microparticles for controlled pulmonary drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Current spray-dried microparticles for inhalation face challenges in aerosolization and sustained drug release.
• Developing effective inhalable drug delivery systems is crucial for continuous, on-site treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pullulan as a novel excipient for spray-dried inhalable microparticles.
• To enhance aerosolization performance and achieve sustained drug release of salbutamol sulphate (SS).

Main Methods:

• Spray drying of pullulan-based microparticles with salbutamol sulphate (SS).
• Modification of microparticles using additives like leucine (Leu) and ammonium bicarbonate (AB).
• Evaluation of flowability, aerosolization behavior, fine particle fraction, emitted fraction, and drug release profiles.

Main Results:

• Pullulan-based microparticles demonstrated improved flowability and aerosolization, with fine particle fractions of 42.0-68.7%.
• Modified microparticles showed augmented emitted fractions (88.0-96.9%), exceeding controls.
• Pullulan-Leu-SS and pullulan-(AB)-SS microparticles achieved higher fine particle doses, indicating enhanced deep lung deposition.
• Sustained drug release was observed for pullulan-based microparticles, extending release time to 60 minutes compared to 2 minutes for controls.

Conclusions:

• Pullulan is a promising excipient for creating dual-functional inhalable microparticles.
• Pullulan significantly improves pulmonary delivery efficiency and enables sustained drug release.
• These findings highlight pullulan's potential for advanced inhalation therapies.