Computational investigation of particle penetration and deposition pattern in a realistic respiratory tract model from different types of dry powder inhalers

Yun Hwan Kim; Darson Dezheng Li; Sena Park; Dong Seok Yi; Guan Heng Yeoh; Ali Abbas

doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121293

Computational investigation of particle penetration and deposition pattern in a realistic respiratory tract model from different types of dry powder inhalers

Int J Pharm. 2022 Jan 25:612:121293. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121293. Epub 2021 Nov 19.

Authors

Yun Hwan Kim¹, Darson Dezheng Li², Sena Park³, Dong Seok Yi⁴, Guan Heng Yeoh⁵, Ali Abbas⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; CSIRO Manufacturing, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia. Electronic address: ykim8924@uni.sydney.edu.au.
² School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
³ Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, The Canberra Hospital, ACT 2605, Australia.
⁴ Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, NSW 2200, Australia; Southwestern Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW 2170, Australia.
⁵ School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia; Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia.
⁶ School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: ali.abbas@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 34808267
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121293

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the device performance of a new design by comparing with a typical commercial DPI. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with the discrete element method (DEM) collision has been utilized in this study to characterize and examine the flow field and particle transportation, respectively. A typical commercial DPI and an in-house designed novel DPI with distinct design features were compared to explore their dispersion capabilities and suitability for delivery to the respiratory tract. For this exploration, realistic oral to larynx and tracheobronchial airway models consisting of bio-relevant features were adopted to enhance practical feasibility. Distinct aerosol performances were observed between the two DPIs in the respiratory tract, where the in-house DPI, in comparison with the commercial DPI, has shown approximately 30% lower deposition fraction in the mouth-throat region with approximately 7% higher escape rate in the tracheobronchial region under the identical inhalation condition. This observation demonstrates that a novel in-house designed DPI provides higher device efficiency over the selected typical commercial DPI.

Keywords: Computational fluid dynamics; Cyclonic flow; Discrete element method; Dry powder inhaler; Respiratory drug delivery.

MeSH terms

Administration, Inhalation
Aerosols
Computer Simulation
Dry Powder Inhalers*
Equipment Design
Hydrodynamics
Particle Size
Powders
Respiratory System*

Substances

Aerosols
Powders