Fluid targeted delivery of functionalized magnetoresponsive nanocomposite particles to a ferromagnetic stent

Vascular stent implantation needs a rapid endothelialization to reduce morbidity and improve patient outcomes. A promising strategy to enhance the artery wall healing is to use the site-specific drug targeting technique to deliver the required medication at the site of injury. This work presents a new concept of using permanent magnet systems to guide and target the functionalized magnetoresponsive nanocomposite clusters around the ferromagnetic stent. In our experiment, the PEG-coated magnetic clusters capture and deposition are based on the competition between the drag force and the magnetic force exerted by both the magnetic field gradient generated by the permanent external magnet and the ferromagnetic stent. Also, the ferromagnetic stent was tested for biological toxicity, and the result shown the excellent device biocompatibility. Stent magnetic particle targeting process generates an almost uniform strut coverage with PEG-coated MNP's within the different stent segments (proximal, central, and distal segment), but visibly different between stent segments. The magnetic clusters deposition stability in time demonstrates that stent struts coverage remains quasi constant after 1 min of exposure to the flow shear stress.