Micron-size lactose manufactured under high shear and its dispersion efficiency as carrier for Salbutamol Sulphate

Abstract

Micron-dimension lactose crystals were produced through ‘one step’ crystallization under high shear (HS) (1.15 × 10²～2.30 × 10² Pa) and followed by centrifuging, freeze-drying and sieving in Lab. The morphology of samples were determined by using particle sizing, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The dispersion efficiencies of these lactose particles, as the carriers for delivering Salbutamol Sulphate (SS), were tested and compared with the commercially available fine lactose (Sorbolac 400). The in-vitro aerosol deposition of the SS powder formulations delivered from a Rotahaler® was determined by a twin-stage impinger (TSI). The results indicated that the lactose crystals prepared in the current study performed comparably better than the commercial sample in terms of SS dispersion efficiency. Such results indicate that this technique of crystallization under high shear is a promising method to manufacture fine lactose crystals as carrier for dry powder inhalation aerosols (DPIs).