Kimbell J S, Gross E A, Joyner D R, Godo M N, Morgan K T
Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1993 Aug;121(2):253-63. doi: 10.1006/taap.1993.1152.
For certain inhaled air pollutants, such as reactive, water soluble gases, the distribution of nasal lesions observed in F344 rats may be closely related to regional gas uptake patterns in the nose. These uptake patterns can be influenced by the currents of air flowing through the upper respiratory tract during the breathing cycle. Since data on respiratory tract lesions in F344 rats are extrapolated to humans to make predictions of risk to human health, a better understanding of the factors affecting these responses is needed. To assess potential effects of nasal airflow on lesion location and severity, a methodology was developed for creation of computer simulations of steady-state airflow and gas transport using a three-dimensional finite element grid reconstructed from serial step-sections of the nasal passages of a male F344 rat. Simulations on a supercomputer used the computational fluid dynamics package FIDAP (FDI, Evanston, IL). Distinct streams of bulk flow evident in the simulations matched inspiratory streams reported for the F344 rat. Moreover, simulated regional flow velocities matched measured velocities in concurrent laboratory experiments with a hollow nasal mold. Computer-predicted flows were used in simulations of gas transport to nasal passage walls, with formaldehyde as a test case. Results from the uptake simulations were compared with the reported distribution of formaldehyde-induced nasal lesions observed in the F344 rat, and indicated that airflow-driven uptake patterns probably play an important role in determining the location of certain nasal lesions induced by formaldehyde. This work demonstrated the feasibility of applying computational fluid dynamics to airflow-driven dosimetry of inhaled chemicals in the upper respiratory tract.
对于某些吸入的空气污染物，如具有反应性的水溶性气体，在F344大鼠中观察到的鼻腔损伤分布可能与鼻腔内的区域气体摄取模式密切相关。这些摄取模式可能受到呼吸周期中流经上呼吸道的气流的影响。由于F344大鼠呼吸道损伤的数据被外推到人类以预测对人类健康的风险，因此需要更好地了解影响这些反应的因素。为了评估鼻腔气流对损伤位置和严重程度的潜在影响，开发了一种方法，用于使用从雄性F344大鼠鼻腔通道的连续阶梯切片重建的三维有限元网格创建稳态气流和气体传输的计算机模拟。在超级计算机上进行的模拟使用了计算流体动力学软件包FIDAP（FDI，伊利诺伊州埃文斯顿）。模拟中明显的不同主流与报道的F344大鼠的吸气流相匹配。此外，模拟的区域流速与在同时进行的中空鼻腔模型实验室实验中测量的流速相匹配。以甲醛为测试案例，将计算机预测的气流用于气体传输到鼻腔壁的模拟中。摄取模拟的结果与报道的F344大鼠中观察到的甲醛诱导的鼻腔损伤分布进行了比较，结果表明气流驱动的摄取模式可能在确定甲醛诱导的某些鼻腔损伤的位置方面起重要作用。这项工作证明了将计算流体动力学应用于上呼吸道中气流驱动的吸入化学物质剂量学的可行性。
