Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Chemical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Richardson, William

Abstract

The extracellular matrix is a complex system surrounding cells that is crucial to all of the cardiovascular system’s functions. Fibrosis is an excessive accumulation (scarring) of the extracellular matrix. Fibrosis is typically a negative event, and the scarring must be reduced in the heart in order to maintain its functionality. Due to this, simulations are run using the software “Netflux” in order to determine the effects of different heart failure drugs on cardiac fibrosis. The drugs that were simulated were an ACE Inhibitor, BAR Beta Blocker, ARB Blocker, and Entresto. These drugs were simulated over 50 hours at three different levels of heart inflammation and compared to a baseline simulation with no drug input. It was seen that the ACE Inhibitor provided no effect on cardiac fibrosis, the BAR Beta Blocker only had an effect on an already inflamed heart as it increased fibrosis significantly, and the ARB Blocker and Entresto decreased fibrosis in a healthy or moderately healthy heart, but increased fibrosis in an already inflamed heart. Even with the limitations that are evident from running simulations, such as diminished reliability compared to actual clinical trials, these results are very helpful in all aspects of determining the proper heart failure drugs to give patients who are having issues with cardiac fibrosis based on the health-level of their heart.

Keywords

simulations; Netflux

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