Disposable Dosators Intended for Dry Powder Delivery to Mice

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Inhalation Technology

Background:

• Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) offer advantages like stable formulations and propellant-free delivery for lung drug administration.
• In vivo testing in murine models is crucial for pharmaceutical aerosol product development, but lacks suitable delivery devices for small animals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate disposable syringe dosators for accurate and reproducible intrapulmonary dry powder delivery in mice.
• To address the limitations of existing technology in murine models for pulmonary drug delivery research.

Main Methods:

• Development of disposable syringe dosators for loading and delivering precise dry powder doses.
• Utilizing a tamping mechanism with a blunt needle to control powder quantity.
• Testing with four model spray-dried powders to assess dose reproducibility and influencing factors.

Main Results:

• The developed dosators successfully delivered doses ranging from 30 to 1100 µg.
• Achieved dose was influenced by tamping frequency, needle size, and powder formulation.
• Dosators demonstrated ease of manufacturing, cost-effectiveness, and suitability for animal procedure rooms.

Conclusions:

• Disposable syringe dosators effectively overcome a significant hurdle in murine dry powder delivery.
• This technology enables more accurate and reproducible preliminary studies in small animal models for pulmonary drug delivery.
• Facilitates cost-effective proof-of-concept studies for inhaled pharmaceutical products.