Hannele Eerikäinen

Aerosol flow reactor method for synthesis of drug nanoparticles

An aerosol flow reactor method, a one-step continuous process to produce nanometer-sized drug particles with unimodal size distribution, was developed. This method involves first dissolving the drug material in question into a suitable solvent, which is then followed by atomising the solution as fine droplets into carrier gas. A heated laminar flow reactor tube is used to evaporate the solvent, and solid drug nanoparticles are formed. In this study, the effect of drying temperature on the particle size and morphology was examined. A glucocorticosteroid used for asthma therapy, beclomethasone dipropionate, was selected as an experimental model drug. The geometric number mean particle diameter increases significantly with increasing reactor temperatures due to formation of hollow nanoparticles. Above 160 degrees C, however, further increase in temperature results in decreasing particle size. The produced nanoparticles are spherical and show smooth surfaces at all studied experimental conditions.

Preparation of polymeric nanoparticles containing corticosteroid by a novel aerosol flow reactor method

Polymeric drug-containing nanoparticles were prepared using a novel aerosol flow reactor method. The polymeric drug-containing nanoparticles prepared consist of a poorly water soluble corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate, and polymeric materials Eudragit E 100 or Eudragit L 100. The novel method used in this study allows synthesis of nanoparticles directly as dry powders. The nanoparticles can contain various ratios of drug and polymer, and the use of any additional stabilisation materials is avoided. In this study, nanoparticles with different drug-to-polymer ratios were prepared. Particle size and morphology, crystallinity, and thermal behaviour were determined as a function of particle composition. It was found that all the nanoparticles produced, regardless of particle composition, had geometric number mean diameters of approximately 90 nm, and were spherical showing smooth surfaces. The drug was molecularly dispersed in the amorphous polymeric matrix of the nanoparticles, and drug crystallisation was not observed when the ambient temperature was below the glass transition temperature of the polymer.

Nanoparticles containing ketoprofen and acrylic polymers prepared by an aerosol flow reactor method

The purpose of this study was to outline the effects of interactions between a model drug and various acrylic polymers on the physical properties of nanoparticles prepared by an aerosol flow reactor method. The amount of model drug, ketoprofen, in the nanoparticles was varied, and the nanoparticles were analyzed for particle size distribution, particle morphology, thermal properties, IR spectroscopy, and drug release. The nanoparticles produced were spherical, amorphous, and had a matrix-type structure. Ketoprofen crystallization was observed when the amount of drug in Eudragit L nanoparticles was more than 33% (wt/wt). For Eudragit E and Eudragit RS nanoparticles, the drug acted as an effective plasticizer resulting in lowering of the glass transition of the polymer. Two factors affected the preparation of nanoparticles by the aerosol flow reactor method, namely, the solubility of the drug in the polymer matrix and the thermal properties of the resulting drug-polymer matrix.

Polymeric Drug Nanoparticles Prepared by an Aerosol Flow Reactor Method

AbstractPurpose. Our purpose was to study the possibility of using a novel method, namely, aerosol flow reactor method, for the preparation of drug-containing nanoparticles with varying amounts of drug and polymer. The physical properties of the prepared nanoparticles were analyzed. Methods. The nanoparticle size distributions were measured using differential mobility analyzer. The structure of the prepared nanoparticles was assessed by x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and electron microscopy. Drug release from the nanoparticles was analyzed. Results. The spherical particles produced showed a unimodal and lognormal size distribution, and the geometric number mean size of the nanoparticles could be varied between 90 and 200 nm. When the amount of drug in the polymeric matrix was small, the nanoparticles had a homogeneous, amorphous structure. Drug crystals were formed when the amount of drug was increased over the solubility limit of the drug into the polymer. The amounts of drug and polymer controlled the drug release from the nanoparticles. Conclusions. The aerosol flow reactor method was found to be able to produce homogeneous amorphous matrix-type nanoparticles that can directly be collected as dry powder.