Effects of shear stress on low-density lipoproteins (LDL) transport in the multi-layered arteries

The mathematical, four-layer model of the LDL transport across the arterial wall including the sensitivity of the transport coefficients to the wall shear stress (WSS) is studied. In that model the advection-diffusion equations in porous media are used to determine the LDL concentration profiles in each layer of the arterial wall. We demonstrate the effect of the giant accumulation of the LDL in the intima layer. This property turns out to be an interplay between the layered structure of the arterial wall and WSS sensitivity of the endothelium. Interestingly, we also show that the single-layer models with the same WSS sensitivity mechanism and corresponding parameters, obscure the accumulation phenomenon, which predicts the one order of magnitude larger LDL concentration. The paper is supplemented by the repository with source code of the model (Git repository). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.