Micelle behavior analysis using dissipative particle dynamics method

Abstract

One of the most dangerous diseases is an aneurysm because if it ruptures the person will die unless urgent and appropriate treatment is performed. There are mainly two types of aneurysms: cerebral aneurysm (CA) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). CA needs surgical operations that are selected depending on the symptoms, while medical treatments can be applied to a small AAA to prevent it from expanding, although surgeries are operated for a hypertrophied AAA to prevent it from rupturing. The medical treatments employ micelle which is a colloidal sphere-shaped medicine, which size is too small and about 4 [nm]. The micelle is conveyed to AAA and invades from the vascular lumen to the vascular wall, where little blood flow exists and random force such as Brownian movement is dominant. On the slow flow in the small area, a general governing equation called the Navier-Stokes equation is not used and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is employed to solve the flow behavior. Then we performed a micelle behavior simulation in the vascular lumen using DPD. As a result, the micelle was not able to move only with random force and moved by some external force.