Complex carrier particles for respiratory drug delivery analysed with sequentially built DEM-simulation models.

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Optimizing drug delivery from inhalers is crucial for effective respiratory treatments.
• Carrier particle design significantly impacts drug aerosolization and lung deposition.
• Understanding particle interactions is key to improving interactive powder blends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of tailor-made carrier particle geometries on drug detachment in interactive powder mixtures.
• To investigate particle-particle and particle-wall interactions during simulated inhalation.
• To identify optimal carrier particle designs for enhanced respiratory drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Utilized discrete element method (DEM) numerical simulations to model particle interactions.
• Performed loading simulations to create interactive blends of carrier particles and a model drug.
• Conducted collision simulations (particle-particle and particle-wall) to assess drug dispersion.
• Employed a Design of Experiment approach to statistically analyze 2700 simulations across ten complex geometries.

Main Results:

• Carrier particle geometry significantly influences drug detachment from the surface.
• The "Pharmacone" particle, featuring protruding spikes, demonstrated superior performance.
• Spikes on the Pharmacone altered its collision dynamics, promoting drug detachment.

Conclusions:

• Complex carrier particle geometries, particularly those with spikes like the Pharmacone, can enhance drug detachment.
• Optimized carrier particle design is critical for improving the efficiency of respiratory drug delivery systems.
• Numerical simulations provide valuable insights into particle behavior during inhalation, guiding future device development.