Numerical evaluation of spray position for improved nasal drug delivery
Topical intra-nasal sprays are amongst the most commonly prescribed therapeutic options for sinonasal diseases in humans. However, inconsistency and ambiguity in instructions show a lack of definitive knowledge on best spray use techniques. In this study, we have identified a new usage strategy for...
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Published in | Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 10568 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
29.06.2020
Nature Publishing Group |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Topical intra-nasal sprays are amongst the most commonly prescribed therapeutic options for sinonasal diseases in humans. However, inconsistency and ambiguity in instructions show a lack of definitive knowledge on best spray use techniques. In this study, we have identified a new usage strategy for nasal sprays available over-the-counter, that registers an average 8-fold improvement in topical delivery of drugs at diseased sites, when compared to prevalent spray techniques. The protocol involves re-orienting the spray axis to harness inertial motion of particulates and has been developed using computational fluid dynamics simulations of respiratory airflow and droplet transport in medical imaging-based digital models. Simulated dose in representative models is validated through
in vitro
spray measurements in 3D-printed anatomic replicas using the gamma scintigraphy technique. This work breaks new ground in proposing an alternative user-friendly strategy that can significantly enhance topical delivery inside human nose. While these findings can eventually translate into personalized spray usage instructions and hence merit a change in nasal standard-of-care, this study also demonstrates how relatively simple engineering analysis tools can
revolutionize
everyday healthcare. Finally, with respiratory mucosa as the initial coronavirus infection site, our findings are relevant to intra-nasal vaccines that are in-development, to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-020-66716-0 |