Characterization of nanoparticle distribution in microcirculation: The influence of blood cells and vascular geometry

This paper focuses on characterization of nanoparticle (NP) distribution in microcirculation. In microcirculation, the vessel size is comparable to the size of red blood cells (RBCs) and the existence of blood cells largely influences the dispersion and binding distribution of NPs. The branching geometry of these vessels leads to non-uniform binding distribution of particles. The influence of various effects such as blood cells, vessel geometry, and shear rates on NP delivery are characterized. The RBCs are found to enhance the binding of NPs at all shear rates while reduces the binding of microparticles at low shear rates. The branching geometry of the capillary vessels leads to higher particle binding density.