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Active Controls to Improve Drug Delivery to the Olfactory Region and Maxillary Sinus

Xi J, Si X.

Respiratory Drug Delivery 2018. Volume 1, 2018: 169-180.

Abstract:

The convoluted nasal passage filters the majority of nasally inhaled aerosols and prevents effective drug delivery to the olfactory region or parasinus. Different methods have been explored to improve drug targeting to such secluded regions. These include point drug release, bi-directional intranasal delivery, electro-magnetic guidance, and pulsating flows. Both in vitro experiments and computational modeling were used to quantify the deposition rate to the olfactory region. A Sar-Gel based method was used to visualize the deposition distribution inside the nasal cavity. Results showed that point drug release and the bi-directional technique both yielded improved, but limited, deposition in the olfactory region. Aerosols with electric charges or magnetic properties can further improve olfactory targeting by applying an appropriate external electric or magnetic field in the nose. The olfactory deposition was sensitive to the voltage of the electrode close to the nose. For both the normal and bi-directional deliveries, electric field guidance resulted in a significant increase (3~5 times) in the olfactory deposition.