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Computational fluid dynamics of nanoparticle disposition in the airways: mucus interactions and mucociliary clearance

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Computing and Visualization in Science

Abstract

Interactions of nanoparticles with respiratory fluids such as airway mucus are currently under investigation and are involved in a variety of applications. The clearance processes of those nanoparticles are still not fully understood. This study presents an approach to describe deposition, sedimentation and clearance of nanoparticles within mucus with numerical and analytical models: Particle deposition as well as motility, sedimentation and clearance were simulated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and described analytically. Furthermore mucus plasticity as pathway for complex particle translocation was simulated using grid-free CFD methods. We could demonstrate that fluid dynamics strongly influence the fate of deposited nanoparticles in mucus: Sedimentation, impaction and diffusion were shown to be unlikely to contribute to particle translocation. However, intrinsic plasticity of mucus slabs and collision of such slabs may enhance particle translocation towards the pulmonary epithelium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbruecken, Germany

    Julian Kirch, Ulrich F. Schaefer, Marc Schneider & Claus-Michael Lehr

  2. Department of Engineering Sciences, Mathematics, University of Applied Sciences, 66117, Saarbruecken, Germany

    Marco Guenther

  3. Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University, 66123, Saarbruecken, Germany

    Claus-Michael Lehr

Authors
  1. Julian Kirch
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  2. Marco Guenther
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  3. Ulrich F. Schaefer
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  4. Marc Schneider
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  5. Claus-Michael Lehr
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Correspondence to Julian Kirch.

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Communicated by: Gabriel Wittum.

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Kirch, J., Guenther, M., Schaefer, U.F. et al. Computational fluid dynamics of nanoparticle disposition in the airways: mucus interactions and mucociliary clearance. Comput. Visual Sci. 14, 301–308 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00791-012-0184-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00791-012-0184-x

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