-- Dr. J
Raju
INTRODUCTION
Disadvantages
• Expensive
• Propellants are toxic
• Highly inflammable
Classification of aerosols
According to administration route
– Inhalation aerosols
– Non-inhalation aerosols
– Topical aerosols
• Propellants
• Containers
• Valves and actuators
• Product concentrate
Propellants
Types of propellants
(a) Liquefied gases (b) Compressed gases
LIQUIFIED GAS
FLUORINATED HYDROCARBONS
Advantages
– Chemical inertness
– Lack of toxicity
– Non flammability & explosiveness
Disadvantages
– High cost
– It depletes the ozone layer
– Damage Global Warming Potential
HYDROCARBONS
– Can be used for water based aerosols, topical use
Advantages
– Inexpensive
– Excellent solvents
– It does not cause ozone depletion
Disadvantages
– Flammable
– Unknown toxicity produced
e.g. propane , butane , isobutane
Recently HFA propellants are used instead of CFC
propellants.
COMPRESSED GASES
Advantages
– Inexpensive
– Non flammable
– No environmental problems
Disadvantages
– Pressure falls during use
– Produce coarse droplet spray
– Require use of non volatile co-solvent
e.g. CO2, N2O, N2
Containers
METERING VALVE
SPECIAL ACTUATORS
• These are used for a specific purpose
• It delivers the medicament to the appropriate site of action
such as throat, nose, dental and eyes etc.
Metered Dose Inhalers
OBJECTIVES
– To minimize the number of administrations.
– To improve the drug delivery into the nasal passage ways and
respiratory air ways.
Advantages of MDI
• It delivers specified amount of dose
• Small size and convenience
• Usually inexpensive
• Quick to use
• Multi dose capability more than 100 doses available
Disadvantages of MDI
• Difficult to deliver high doses
• Most products have low lung deposition
• Drug delivery highly dependent on good inhaler technology
METERING VALVE
• It delivers only a specified quantity of product
• It is most critical component of MDI
• It crimped on to the container.
• The volume of valve ranges from 25—100µl for inhalation
and up to 5ml for topical use.
• Such valve consist of two valved chambers both are
connected to actuator button
Formulation
Consist of two essential components
Product concentrate – Active ingredient or mixture of active
ingredient, other solvents, anti oxidants, and surfactants.
Propellant - single or blend, is used to give desired vapor
pressure, solubility and particle size.
• Pharmaceutical aerosol may be dispensed as fine mist, wet
spray, quick breaking foam, stable foam, semi solid etc.
• Type of system selected depends on
• physical, chemical and pharmacological properties of drug,
• Site of application
Types of Systems
SOLUTION SYSTEM
• Large no of aerosol products can be formulated.
• Solution aerosols produce a fine to coarse spray.
• Two phase system consisting of Vapor and Liquid phase.
• No solvent is required, if active ingredient is soluble in propellant.
• Depending on the type of spray, propellant 12 or A-70 (very fine particles) or
mixture of propellant 12 and other propellants. If low VP propellants are
added to P-12, large particle size
• The vapor pressure of system is reduced addition of less volatile solvents such
as ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerin, ethyl acetate.
• Propellant from 5% (for foams) to 95% (for inhalations).
General formula
Active drug -10-15%
Propellant 12/11 (50:50) to 100%
Inhalation aerosol
Isoproterenol Hcl – 0.25%W
Ascorbic acid – 0.1
Ethanol – 35.75
Propellant 12 – 63.9
Packed in S.S, Al container of 15 -30 ml
Hydrocarbons in Topical
Ethanol - 10-15
Water – 10-15
HC propellant A-46 – 55-70
Depending on water content the final product may be solution or three
phase system.
• Hydrocarbon propellant A-70 (drier particles) while A-17 and A-31 tend
to produce a wetter spray.
• These are useful for topical preparations. Plastic coated glass containers.
WATER BASED SYSTEM (Water based aerosols)
• Large amounts of water can be used to replace all or part of the non aqueous
solvents used in aerosols.
• Produce spray or foam.
• To produce spray formulation must consist of dispersion of active ingredients
and other solvents in emulsion system in which the propellant is in the external
phase.
• Since propellant and water are not miscible, a three phase aerosol forms
(propellant, water and vapor phases).
• Ethanol can be used as cosolvent to solubilize propellant in water.
• Low water soluble Surfactants and high solubility in nonpolar solvents will be
useful eg: glycol, glycerol and sorbitan esters of oleic, stearic, palmitic and
lauric acids (Conc. 0.5 to 2%)
• Propellant concentration varies from about 25 to 60%.
• Aquasol system (Aquasol valve) – dispensing fine mist or spray of active
ingredient dissolved in water (No chilling effect, since only active ingredient
and water are dispensed, propellant is in vapor state).
• Differences between aquasol system and three phase system are
PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Vapor pressure: pressure gauge
• Density: Hydrometer or Pycnometer
• Moisture content: Karl Fischer, GC
• Identification of propellants: GC, IR
PERFORMANCE
• Aerosol valve discharge rate: Change in weight per time
dispensed.
• Spray pattern
• Dosage with metered valves
- Reproducibility of dosage, each time valve is depressed
- Amount of medication actually received by patient.
• Net contents: Wtotal - Wcontainer
• Foam stability
- Visual inspection with time.
- Time for a given mass to penetrate the foam.
- Rotational viscometers
PARTICLE SIZE DETERMINATION
- Cascade Impactor: 0.1 to 30 microns
- Light scatter decay: Tyndall beam
BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
- Therapeutic activity
- Toxicity: Topical effects – irritating, chilling
effect
Inhalation effects (even intended
for topical
preparations)
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