Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to develop a novel dry powder inhalation preparation method. Paclitaxel dry powder for inhalation was prepared by spraying a paclitaxel-ethanol solution directly onto an inhalable lactose carrier. This process was carried out under a relatively low temperature, avoiding potential damage to the drug from exposure to high temperatures. After preparation, the particle morphology, size, flowability, emitted dose, respirable fraction, and in vitro drug release were investigated. The results indicated that paclitaxel dry powder for inhalation showed a suitable flowability, and that the emitted dose and respirable fraction were more than 90 and 20%, respectively. The in vitro drug release also showed that there was greater than 95% release of paclitaxel from the dry powder within 5 min of inhalation. These results, along with the easily implementable and facile nature of preparation for this newly developed method, support the idea that fabricating dry powder for inhalation using this method is a useful and promising approach.

Key words: dry powder inhalation (DPI), spray drying, paclitaxel, lung cancer, immediate-release dosage form, pulmonary administration.