On the numerical approximation of drug diffusion in complex cell geometry

Abstract

The mathematical modeling of a mammalian cell is a very tedious work due to its very complex geometry. Especially, taking into account the spatial distribution and the inclusion of lipophilic toxic compounds greatly increases its complexity. The non-homogeneity and the different cellular architecture of the cell certainly affect the diffusion of these compounds. The complexity of the whole system can be reduced by a homogenization technique. To see the effect of these compounds on different cell architectures, we have implemented a mathematical model. The work has been done in 2-dimensional space. The simulation results have been qualitatively verified using compartmental modeling approach. This work can be extended with a more complex reaction-diffusion system and to 3-dimensional space as well.