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The effect of three amino acid coatings (L-leucine, L-valine and L-phenylalanine) on particle integrity, aerosolization properties, cellular interaction, cytocompatibility, and drug permeation properties of drug combination powder particles (beclomethasone dipropionate and salbutamol sulphate) for dry powder inhalation (DPI) was investigated. Particles with crystalline L-leucine coating resulted in intact separated particles, with crystalline L-valine coating in slightly sintered particles and with amorphous L-phenylalanine coating in strongly fused particles. The permeation of beclomethasone dipropionate across a Calu-3 differentiated cell monolayer was increased when compared with its physical mixture. Drug crystal formation was also observed on the Calu-3 cell monolayer. The L-leucine coated particles were further investigated for cytocompatibility in three human pulmonary (Calu-3, A549 and BEAS-2B) and one human macrophage (THP-1) cell lines, where they showed excellent tolerability. The l-leucine coated particles were also examined for their ability to elicit reactive oxygen species in pulmonary BEAS-2B and macrophage THP-1 cell lines. The study showed the influence of the amino acid coatings for particle formation and performance and their feasibility for combination therapy for pulmonary delivery., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aims were to prepare stable and well-dispersible pulmonary fine powders composed of combination drugs with different water solubility, to facilitate concomitant release of corticosteroid budesonide and short acting β-agonist salbutamol sulphate and to improve the dissolution of the budesonide. The budesonide nanosuspensions were prepared by a wet milling which were mixed then with salbutamol sulphate, mannitol (bulking material) and leucine (coating material) for the preparation of micron-sized particles by an aerosol flow reactor wherein leucine formed a rough coating layer on particle surface. The stable and intact particle assemblies showed excellent aerosolization performance. The emitted doses from the inhaler, Easyhaler(®), were ~3 mg/dose with a coefficient variation of 0.1, and the fine particle fractions were ~50%. Complete dissolution of budesonide nanocrystals from the particles took place within 20 min with the same rate as salbutamol sulphate. Combining the two formulation technologies enabled the encapsulation of drugs with different solubility into a single, intact particle. The leucine coating provided excellent aerosolization properties which allowed fine powder delivery from the inhaler without carrier particles. This study showed the feasibility of preparing powders for combination therapy that are utilized, for instance, in inhalation therapy., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

L-Leucine formed different crystalline coatings on salbutamol sulphate aerosol particles depending on the saturation conditions of L-leucine. The work emphasizes a careful characterization of powders where structural compartments such as crystal size and particle coating may affect the performance of drug when administered. The sublimation of L-leucine from the aerosol particles took place 90°C lower temperature than the bulk L-leucine which was attributed to result from the sublimation of L-leucine from nano-sized crystalline domains. The dissolution slowed down and initial dissolution rate decreased with increasing L-leucine content. Decreasing crystalline domains to nano-scale improve heat and mass transfer which was observed as the lowered decomposition temperature of the drug salbutamol sulphate and the sublimation temperature of surface material L-leucine as well as the altered dissolution characteristics of the drug. The structure of the coated drug particles was studied by means of thermal analysis techniques (DSC and TG), and the dissolution of salbutamol sulphate was studied as an on-line measurement in a diffusion cell.

Aerosol microparticles of salbutamol sulphate are gas-phase coated with an amino acid L-leucine. Depending of the saturated state of L-leucine, the coating is formed by the surface diffusion of L-leucine molecules within a droplet or by the physical vapour deposition (PVD) of L-leucine or by the combination thereof. The PVD coated particles showed excellent aerosolization characteristics in a carrier-free powder delivery from an inhaler. The aerosolization of the fine powders is compared with surface energy parameters analysed by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The dispersion testing is conducted by a Inhalation Simulator using a fast inhalation profile with inhalation flow rate of 67 l min(-1). It is found that the powder emission is affected by the morphology, surface roughness (asperity size and density) of the particles and acidity of particle surface. The latter affects the dispersion and dose repeatability of fine powder in a case if L-leucine content is high enough. However, there is no direct correlation between dispersive surface energies and aerosolization performances of the powders. Crucial factors for the improved aerosolization rely weakly on surface acid-base properties but strongly on particle morphology and fine-scale surface roughness., (2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aerosolization behavior of carrier-free l-leucine coated salbutamol sulphate inhalable powders has been studied. L-Leucine coatings were formed by physical vapour deposition (PVD) on the surface of the spherical particles in the gas phase. While depositing L-leucine formed pointy crystalline asperities whose size and density increased with the increased content of L-leucine in the gas phase. The asperity size changed from few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers. Due to the rough surface, all these coated fine powders were well-flowable and could be fed without the aid of coarser carriers. The aerosolization characteristics of the powders were studied with 'Inhalation Simulator' under ascending and fast inhalation profiles. When detected on-line by infrared light attenuation, the emission of the coated powders from an inhaler (Easyhaler) was distinctively dependent on the inhalation flow rate less than 30 l/min whereas that of micronized salbutamol sulphate powder solely depended on the studied inhalation flow rate range up to 100 l/min. Gravimetric measurements showed that emitted doses (ED) and fine particle fractions (FPF) of the coated powders were 5.1-7.1 mg/dose and 42-47%, respectively, which were 3-4 times higher than those of the micronized powder. The ED and FPF of the coated powders decreased as the surface roughness increased which is hypothesized as mechanical interlocking between the surface asperities.

Purpose: The crystallization and structural integrity of micron-sized inhalable salbutamol sulphate particles coated with L-leucine by different methods are investigated at different humidities. The influence of the L-leucine coating on the crystallization of salbutamol sulphate beneath the coating layer is explored., Methods: The coated particles are prepared by an aerosol flow reactor method, the formation of the L-leucine coating being controlled by the saturation conditions of the L-leucine. The coating is formed by solute diffusion within a droplet and/or by vapour deposition of L-leucine. The powders are humidified at 0%, 44%, 65% and 75% of relative humidity and the changes in physical properties of the powders are investigated with dynamic vapour sorption analysis (DVS), a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM)., Results: Visual observation show that all the coated particles preserve their structural integrity whereas uncoated salbutamol sulphate particles are unstable at 65% of relative humidity. The coating layer formed by diffusion performs best in terms of its physical stability against moisture and moisture-induced crystallization. The degree of crystallization of salbutamol in the as-prepared powders is within the range 24-35%. The maximum degree of crystallization after drying ranges from 55 to 73% when the salbutamol crystallizes with the aid of moisture. In addition to providing protection against moisture, the L-leucine coating also stabilizes the particle structure against heat at temperatures up to 250 degrees C., Conclusion: In order to preserve good flowability together with good physical stability, the best coating would contain two L-leucine layers, the inner layer being formed by diffusion (physical stability) and the outer layer by vapour deposition (flowability).

Salbutamol sulphate nanoparticles have been simultaneously prepared and coated with L-leucine in the gas phase. Three different ways of coating can be separated based on the operation temperatures used in an aerosol flow reactor. Below the temperature of L-leucine sublimation, formation of the L-leucine layer on the core particle surface takes place via diffusion of L-leucine molecules on the droplet surfaces during droplet drying. At intermediate temperatures, the extent of sublimation of L-leucine depends notably on the concentration, and thus partial evaporation was expected. The L-leucine coating was solely formed via vapor deposition at high reactor temperatures when complete sublimation of L-leucine was obtained. The geometric mean diameter of the core salbutamol particles was approximately 65 nm. In general, particle size increased with the addition of L-leucine. The size distribution remained the same or broadened when the coating layer of the particles was formed via surface diffusion whereas notable narrowing of the distribution was observed when the coating was formed via vapor deposition. Upon desublimation and heterogeneous nucleation on the surfaces of smooth, spherical core particles, L-leucine formed a discontinuous coating with leafy crystals a few nanometers in size.