Momeni Larimi Morsal, Babamiri Arash, Biglarian Mohit, Ramiar Abas, Tabe Reza, Inthavong Kiao, Farnoud Ali
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol P.O. Box 484, Iran.
Department of Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan 66177-15175, Iran.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Mar 7;16(3):406. doi: 10.3390/ph16030406.
The demand for a more efficient and targeted method for intranasal drug delivery has led to sophisticated device design, delivery methods, and aerosol properties. Due to the complex nasal geometry and measurement limitations, numerical modeling is an appropriate approach to simulate the airflow, aerosol dispersion, and deposition for the initial assessment of novel methodologies for better drug delivery. In this study, a CT-based, 3D-printed model of a realistic nasal airway was reconstructed, and airflow pressure, velocity, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and aerosol deposition patterns were simultaneously investigated. Different inhalation flowrates (5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 L/min) and aerosol sizes (1, 1.5, 2.5, 3, 6, 15, and 30 µm) were simulated using laminar and SST viscous models, with the results compared and verified by experimental data. The results revealed that from the vestibule to the nasopharynx, the pressure drop was negligible for flow rates of 5, 10, and 15 L/min, while for flow rates of 30 and 40 L/min, a considerable pressure drop was observed by approximately 14 and 10%, respectively. However, from the nasopharynx and trachea, this reduction was approximately 70%. The aerosol deposition fraction alongside the nasal cavities and upper airway showed a significant difference in pattern, dependent on particle size. More than 90% of the initiated particles were deposited in the anterior region, while just under 20% of the injected ultrafine particles were deposited in this area. The turbulent and laminar models showed slightly different values for the deposition fraction and efficiency of drug delivery for ultrafine particles (about 5%); however, the deposition pattern for ultrafine particles was very different.
对更高效、更具针对性的鼻内给药方法的需求推动了精密的装置设计、给药方式和气溶胶特性的发展。由于鼻腔几何结构复杂且测量存在局限性，数值模拟是一种合适的方法，可用于模拟气流、气溶胶扩散和沉积，以便对改善药物递送的新方法进行初步评估。在本研究中，重建了基于CT的逼真鼻气道3D打印模型，并同时研究了气流压力、速度、湍流动能（TKE）和气溶胶沉积模式。使用层流和SST粘性模型模拟了不同的吸入流速（5、10、15、30和45 L/min）和气溶胶粒径（1、1.5、2.5、3、6、15和30 µm），并将结果与实验数据进行了比较和验证。结果显示，从前庭到鼻咽，对于5、10和15 L/min的流速，压降可忽略不计，而对于30和40 L/min的流速，分别观察到约14%和10%的显著压降。然而，从鼻咽到气管，这种压降减少了约70%。鼻腔和上呼吸道沿线的气溶胶沉积分数在模式上显示出显著差异，这取决于颗粒大小。超过90%的起始颗粒沉积在前部区域，而注入的超细颗粒中只有不到20%沉积在该区域。湍流模型和层流模型显示，超细颗粒的沉积分数和药物递送效率的值略有不同（约5%）；然而，超细颗粒的沉积模式非常不同。
