Numerical study on targeted delivery of magnetic drug particles in realistic human lung

Inhalation of medical drug particles through human airway is widely utilized for the remedy of lung diseases. Due to the complexities of airway morphology, flow turbulence and particle deposition, the drug delivery efficiency to the morbid region of lung is always unsatisfactory. In this research, a 3D anatomically accurate human airway model from oral cavity to lung is reconstructed, and the large eddy simulation-discrete phase model (LES-DPM) is adopted to simulate the airway flow and drug particles transport. To improve the particle delivery to the targeted region of the left lung, a magnetic drug targeting (MDT) system is established. It is found that the LES-DPM in conjunction with MDT system is an effective tool to study airway flow patterns and magnetic particle deposition features. Moreover, the magnetic source layout, magnetic particle size and magnetic field intensity all have significant impacts on the particle deposition efficiency in the left lung. Optimal combination factors for drug particle delivery results are successfully achieved. The total deposition efficiency of magnetic particles in the left lung can be increased to more than 5 times. This work not only could provide a better understanding of air-particle dynamics, but also could contribute toward improved strategies for more efficient drug delivery in the realistic human lungs.