Background: Targeting drugs to the olfactory region in the nasal cavity can bypass the restrictive blood-brain barrier and enhance their direct delivery to the brain. However, complex nasal geometry and its demographical variations can pose challenges for targeted drug deposition in the olfactory region. Deposition of particles in the nasal cavity is influenced by particle size, airflow rate, and nasal geometry. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of these parameters on regional microparticle deposition with the view to provide insights into the nose-to-brain delivery of drugs. Methods: In this study, three anatomically accurate human nasal cavities were reconstructed in silico and deposition of microparticles under nebulization and bi-directional airflow conditions was simulated. Microparticle deposition data were analyzed to gain insight into the effect of particle size and nasal geometry. Results: Maximum olfactory deposition was observed with particles in the size range of 8 to 12 μm under nebulization and 14 to 18 μm under bi-directional airflow condition. Geometric differences between subjects were shown to significantly impact overall and regional particle deposition and introduced inter-subject variability. Significant intra-subject variability in microparticle deposition was also observed in the bi-directional delivery cases. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that tailoring particle size, combined with a delivery protocol, may provide a unique and pragmatic way to target drugs to the olfactory region. Differences in nasal anatomy among humans can cause variability in particle deposition and need to be considered in any future applications.
Keywords: bi-directional airflow; nebulization; nose-to-brain delivery; olfactory targeting; particle size.