AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Deposition of Aerosolized Perfluorocarbon (PFC) in the Lungs of Sprague Dawley Rats
Bahman Asgharian, OWEN PRICE, Jeff Schroeter, Gene McClellan, Jason Rodriguez, Tim Bentley, Applied Research Associates, Inc.
Abstract Number: 303 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract The family of perfluorocarbon (PFC) compounds exhibits a strong intra-molecule bonding and high capacity for dissolving a variety of medium and high vapor pressure chemicals. Hence, PFCs have been proposed as a vehicle for pharmaceutical drug delivery. Feasibility testing of this pharmaceutical use is ongoing in different laboratories with large and small animals, such as Sprague Dawley rats. A mathematical model of aerosolized PFC transport and deposition in the lungs of Sprague Dawley rats was developed to determine the amount of the drug deposited in the pulmonary region and, thus, availability for systemic transport to other tissues and organs. A symmetric, typical-path model of the lung geometry for Sprague Dawley rats was developed based on digitized images of the lower respiratory tract. The geometry was used in a multiple-path particle dosimetry model (MPPD, ARA, Raleigh NC) to predict site-specific deposition of PFC particles for different breathing rates, lung volumes, and initial droplet sizes. The model accounted for particle size change by hygroscopic growth and evaporation due to phase change. Deposition in the pulmonary region was highly dependent on the initial size of the particles and PFC physico-chemical properties; thereby allowing the selection of a PFC candidate which demonstrates the greatest deep-lung deposition and delivery to other tissues. By simulating different exposure and inhalation scenarios, the mathematical model of PFC deposition may be used as a fast and inexpensive means to conduct a feasibility study and identify an ideal PFC candidate based on its ability to deliver drugs to target sites. This study was funded by the Office of Naval Research, contract number N00014-12-C-0624.