A review of upper airway physiology relevant to the delivery and deposition of inhalation aerosols

Taye Mekonnen, Xinyu Cai, Christopher Burchell, Hanieh Mohammad Gholizadeh Mahvizani, Shaokoon Cheng*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Developing effective oral inhaled drug delivery treatment strategies for respiratory diseases necessitates a thorough knowledge of the respiratory system physiology, such as the differences in the airway channel's structure and geometry in health and diseases, their surface properties, and mechanisms that maintain their patency. While respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma and their implications on the lower airways have been the core focus of most of the current research, the role of the upper airway in these diseases is less known, especially in the context of inhaled drug delivery. This is despite the fact that the upper airway is the passageway for inhaled drugs to be delivered to the lower airways, and their replicas are indispensable in current standards, such as the cascade impactor experiments for testing inhaled drug delivery technology. This review provides an overview of upper airway collapsibility and their mechanical properties, the effects of age and gender on upper airway geometry, and surface properties. The review also discusses how COPD and asthma affect the upper airway and the typical inhalation flow characteristics exhibited by the patients with these diseases.
Original languageEnglish
Article number114530
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
JournalAdvanced Drug Delivery Reviews
Volume191
Early online date21 Sept 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022

Keywords

  • Upper airway collapsibility
  • Mechanical properties
  • Surface properties
  • Upper airway geometry
  • COPD
  • Asthma
  • Inhalation flow characteristics

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