Influence of vessel curvature and plaque composition on drug transport in the arterial wall following drug-eluting stent implantation

Escuer, J., Aznar, I., McCormick, C., Peña, E., McGinty, S. and Martínez, M. A. (2021) Influence of vessel curvature and plaque composition on drug transport in the arterial wall following drug-eluting stent implantation. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 20, pp. 767-786. (doi: 10.1007/s10237-020-01415-3) (PMID:33533998)

Abstract

In the last decade, many computational models have been developed to describe the transport of drug eluted from stents and the subsequent uptake into arterial tissue. Each of these models has its own set of limitations: for example, models typically employ simplified stent and arterial geometries, some models assume a homogeneous arterial wall, and others neglect the influence of blood flow and plasma filtration on the drug transport process. In this study, we focus on two common limitations. Specifically, we provide a comprehensive investigation of the influence of arterial curvature and plaque composition on drug transport in the arterial wall following drug-eluting stent implantation. The arterial wall is considered as a three-layered structure including the subendothelial space, the media and the adventitia, with porous membranes separating them (endothelium, internal and external elastic lamina). Blood flow is modelled by the Navier–Stokes equations, while Darcy’s law is used to calculate plasma filtration through the porous layers. Our findings demonstrate that arterial curvature and plaque composition have important influences on the spatiotemporal distribution of drug, with potential implications in terms of effectiveness of the treatment. Since the majority of computational models tend to neglect these features, these models are likely to be under- or over-estimating drug uptake and redistribution in arterial tissue.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness through research Project No. DPI2016-76630-C2-1-R and Grant No. BES-2014-069737; the Department of Industry and Innovation (Government of Aragon) through research group Grant No. T24-17R (Fondo Social Europeo) and research Project No. LMP121-18; and the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) through the CIBER initiative. Dr. McGinty acknowledges funding provided by EPSRC (Grant No. EP/S030875/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mcginty, Dr Sean
• Authors: Escuer, J., Aznar, I., McCormick, C., Peña, E., McGinty, S., and Martínez, M. A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1617-7959
• ISSN (Online): 1617-7940
• Published Online: 03 February 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology 20:767–786
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
303232		EPSRC Centre for Multiscale soft tissue mechanics with MIT and POLIMI (SofTMech-MP)	Xiaoyu Luo	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)	EP/S030875/1	M&S - Mathematics