Solvent-free particle surface modification using amino acid L-Leucine during milling for
improved dry powder dispersion
Kuriakose Kunnath, Z. Huang, R. Dave
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Inhalation therapy requires the efficient powder de-agglomeration and dispersion in
addition to a very fine particle size (<5 µm). Unfortunately, milling of pharmaceutical
powders, which is required to achieve the right size range, leads to formation of large
agglomerates with poor dispersion after inhalation. In this work, using KCl as a
surrogate material, milling and surface coating was done in a Fluid Energy Mill (FEM) to
produce particles suitable for inhalation. Several different coating materials were
investigated and it was found that L-Leucine, a naturally occurring amino acid, offers
similar powder dispersibility performance even at the fine particle sizes used in
inhalation