Optimization of assessment of the function of the main protective mechanisms of the respiratory systme based on the use of albumin aerosol

The article describes the most informative, direct and non-invasive radioaerosol method for studying the main protective mechanisms of the respiratory system, the processes of inhaled substances deposition and clearing them from the lungs due to the mucociliary system function (mucociliary clearance). The method involves inhalation of a diagnostic radioisotope-labelled drug and subsequent analysis of the dynamics of distribution and excretion of this drug. Based on the analysis results, the above-mentioned processes of inhaled substances deposition and clearing them from the lungs are judged. The accuracy of assessing these processes depends on the aerodynamic properties of the inhalant, for which albumin dispersion systems were chosen as the most physiological material. In order to optimize the measurement of parameters of the aerodynamic properties of a diagnostic aerosol, a comparative analysis of different measurement methods and different albumin dispersion systems was performed. It has been established that the most informative and economically feasible method for assessing the aerodynamic properties of an inhalant is the scanning electron microscopy method. This method was used to assess the dispersion systems, i.e. albumin macroaggregates produced by foreign manufacturers and albumin microspheres manufactured using domestic technology. It has been shown that domestic albumin microspheres have optimal aerodynamic parameters for studying the processes of inhaled substances deposition and mucociliary clearance of the lungs. However, to definitively assess the potential use of these albumin microspheres, direct assessment of their deposition in the lungs is necessary.