PHARMACEUTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INTRAVENOUSFAT EMULSIONS - ESTIMATION OF AVERAGE PARTICLE-SIZE, SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND SURFACE-POTENTIAL USING PHOTON-CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY

Particle profiles such as the average diameter, size distribution and dispersion, as web as the zeta potential, of commercially available in travenous fat emulsions of high-calorie nutrient fluids (6 products) a nd drug carriers (4 products) were examined using photon correlation s pectroscopy (dynamic light scattering), Wide variations were observed in number-weighted (dn), weight-weighted (dw) and z-average diameters, and dw/dn ratios as a measure of polydispersity, Average size is not sufficient for the pharmaceutical characterization of particles and th e determination of size distribution or dw/dn value is essential for m ore precise information, Although measuring the zeta potential of fat emulsions is of considerable value in estimating their stability on lo ng-term storage, a medium which accurately reflects the environment of the droplets in the system of interest should be chosen when diluting the emulsion.