Preparation and characterization of spray dried inhalable powders containing chitosan nanoparticles for pulmonary delivery of isoniazid

The aim of this study was to prepare spray dried inhalable powders containing isoniazid-loaded chitosan/tripolyphosphate (TPP) nanoparticles for sustained delivery of the drug to the lung. Nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method. In-vitro drug release study indicated that the rate of drug release from nanoparticles was decreased by increasing the amount of chitosan. Entrapment of isoniazid into chitosan/TPP nanoparticles decreased minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the drug against mycobacterium avium intracellulare. Nanoparticles were spray dried using excipients such as lactose, mannitol and maltodextrin alone or with leucine. Results showed that the obtained powders had different aerosolization property. It was observed that by adding leucine, the particle size of microparticles deceased and the process yield and fine particle fraction (FPF) increased significantly. The in-vitro deposition data indicated that spray drying of isoniazid-loaded nanoparticles with lactose in the presence of leucine resulted in the production of inhalable powders with the highest FPF (45%).