Application of Ultrasound to Pharmaceutical Industry : An Overview

The term “ultrasound” means vibrations similar to sound waves with a frequency higher than 20 kHz. US waves, apart from sharing the usual properties of sound, they also show some new properties owing to high energies. This makes ultrasonic waves to find use in engineering, material science and medicine. The ability to tune the frequency and amplitude of ultrasonic waves makes this technology attractive in pharmaceutical field also. Ultrasound is a promising technology with wide applications in pharmacy such as in controlling particle size, controlled crystallization, production of nano materials, enhancing the solubility of poorly soluble drug candidates. Furthermore, ultrasound can be used in effluent treatment, separation and concentration of particulate sub-populations based on dimensions and physical properties. US technology is also found useful in processing and formulating delicate biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids because it ensures structural integrity of the molecules.