Lung deposition predictions of airborne particles and the emergence of contemporary diseases Part-I

Abstract

Inhaled particles can cause a variety of pulmonary illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and even secondary organismic diseases. Thus, predictions of inhaled aerosol deposition in the respiratory tract are essential not only to assess their possible consequences but also to optimize drug delivery using pharmaceutical aerosols. Deposition of inhaled aerosols is a complex phenomenon that depends on the physico-chemical properties of the particles, lung anatomy, and respiratory patterns of the subject. Hence, the prediction of particle deposition for an individual person poses real challenges. Different conceptual particle deposition models are employed for the estimation of deposition fraction in different region of the lung. However, these deposition fractions vary with the above mentioned parameters in addition to the modeling and computational technique. Part-I of this review article briefly describes the deposition behaviour of inhaled particulate matter and the currently available approaches for the prediction of aerosol deposition in the respiratory tract. Part-II continues this thread and provides a broad view of the health-related issues of particle exposure.