4.7 Article

Needle-Free Jet Injectors and Nanosuspensions: Exploring the Potential of an Unexpected Pair

Journal

PHARMACEUTICS
Volume 14, Issue 5, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14051085

Keywords

nanocrystals; needle-free; subcutaneous; medical device; diclofenac

Funding

  1. UniCA-Progetti biennali di Ateneo Finanziati dalla Fondazione di Sardegna [CUP F74I19000950007]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This study investigates the feasibility of using needle-free liquid jet injectors for the administration of nanosuspensions and demonstrates their effectiveness in delivering drugs and maintaining drug concentration.
Needle-free liquid jet injectors are medical devices used to administer pharmaceutical solutions through the skin. Jet injectors generate a high-speed stream of liquid medication that can puncture the skin and deliver the drug to the underlying tissues. In this work, we investigated the feasibility of using liquid jet injectors to administer nanosuspensions, assessing the impact of the jet injection on their pharmaceutical and physicochemical properties. For this purpose, the model drug diclofenac was used to prepare a set of nanosuspensions, stabilized by poloxamer 188, and equilibrated at different pHs. The hydrodynamic diameter and morphology of the nanocrystals were analyzed before and after the jet injection across porcine skin in vitro, together with the solubility and release kinetics of diclofenac in a simulated subcutaneous environment. The efficacy of the jet injection (i.e., the amount of drug delivered across the skin) was evaluated for the nanosuspension and for a solution, which was used as a control. Finally, the nanosuspension was administered to rats by jet injector, and the plasma profile of diclofenac was evaluated and compared to the one obtained by jet injecting a solution with an equal concentration. The nanosuspension features were maintained after the jet injection in vitro, suggesting that no structural changes occur upon high-speed impact with the skin. Accordingly, in vivo studies demonstrated the feasibility of jet injecting a nanosuspension, reaching relevant plasma concentration of the drug. Overall, needle-free jet injectors proved to be a suitable alternative to conventional syringes for the administration of nanosuspensions.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available