Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transport in an artery – A simplified analytical solution

Abstract

An analytical solution is presented for a robust four-layer porous model for the description of the LDL transport in the arterial wall coupled with the transport in the lumen. The endothelium, intima, internal elastic lamina (IEL) and media are all treated as homogenous porous media and modeled using volume-averaged porous media transport equations. The analytical solution is derived based on consideration of primary transport in the lateral direction. The analytical results are found consistent with the numerical data for different physiological conditions. It is clear that the analytical solution offers a good estimation of the LDL transport in a straight geometry.