Carbon Nanotubes in the Human Respiratory Tract-Clearance Modeling.

摘要: Clearance of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT, diameter: 5 nm) and multi-wall (MWCNT, 50 in the respiratory tract was predicted for various age groups (infants, children, adolescents, adults). The model founded on assumption that lung clearance takes place three distinct phases: (i) fast mucociliary clearance, (ii) slow bronchial (iii) alveolar clearance. To each these phases a specific fraction deposited particles attributed, amount which depended particles' geometry deposition sites system. velocities were expressed by respective half-times ranging from several hours case to tens days Results simulations clearly demonstrate scenario (sitting, nasal breathing) considered here exhibits slight decrease with increasing age, but total times (i.e. time spans, within 100% particulate mass are removed) rather constant among groups. Nanotubes bronchioles alveoli usually subject long-term storage structures and, thus, may trigger malignant transformations adjacent cells tissues.