Model construction and numerical simulation of arterial remodeling after stent implantation with variations of cell concentration

Abstract

Differences in concentration of molecules can cause different molecular diffusion. This issue has not been well studied in the vascular remodeling process with regards to is-stent restenosis. This study designed and built a model to explore the effect of differences in vascular cell concentration on vascular remodeling.Finite element analysis (FEA) models and the agent-based models (ABMs) were established to simulate the damage and proliferation process of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) caused by coronary artery stent implantation. The FEA model simulated the expansion of the stent in the coronary artery, the tensile stress was captured and imported into the ABM, and the damaged VSMCs proliferated to reduce their damage level. VSMCs were randomly distributed within a defined domain, and the number of VSMCs in a unit volume (or area) was defined as the concentration of VSMCs. VSMCs with the smallest concentration of VSMCs will preferentially proliferate, which simulates the cell proliferation affected by the concentration of VSMCs.The results showed that after stent implantation, VSMCs proliferated gradually from the severely damaged stent area to the lumen until the artery reached a steady state. By comparison, the loss of arterial lumen and the number of newly grown VSMCs were greater in the presence of the concentration than in its absence.Cells made full use of the lumen space under the influence of concentration differences, so the concentration was of great significance to vascular remodeling.