Effect of nano-microparticle shape on targeted drug delivery: A numerical study on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a serious medical condition that poses life-threatening complications. Due to the associated risks and potential ruptures from open surgery, targeted drug delivery (TDD) has been considered an alternative treatment method. Researchers have conducted numerous studies to understand the diseases’ nature, including mechanical properties and blood flow patterns, revealing that cardiovascular diseases exhibit turbulent factors such as swirling flows and fluctuations. This research focuses on analyzing how the size, shape, and capacities of drug carriers affect the transport of drugs to the AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm). AAA geometry of a patient was reconstructed and simulated using the finite volume method (FVM) to model the AAA. The Shear Stress Transport (k-o) SST model) and non-Newtonian properties for blood (Carreau Yasuda rheological model) were incorporated into the simulation. The study evaluated the effectiveness of drug carriers by counting the particles’ number remained within the AAA. The results indicate that the shape and size of the drug-loaded carriers considerably influence drug delivery proficiency. Non-spherical particles demonstrated higher tendency to stay within the AAA. These findings have implications for drug delivery in other medical contexts and suggest further investigation into geometrically shaped nano-microparticles in arteries, including those affected by stenosis and aneurysm complexities. Enhancing the effectiveness and safety of drug delivery administration can significantly impact several treatment methods, resulting in TDD outcomes improvements. The study found that nanocarriers of different sizes and shapes are effectively retained in the AAA, with smaller carriers at 50 and 100 nm diameter (shape factor 0.3) and larger carriers from 200 to 4000 nm diameter (shape factors 0.6 to 1.0) displaying notable retention. In summary, this study highlights the importance of considering drug carrier shape and dimensions for targeted drug delivery to the AAA and could potentially improve treatment outcomes for patients with complicated medical conditions.