Magnetically Guided Drug Transport for the Prophylaxis of Pathological Conditions and the Protection of Implants

Abstract

The magnetically guided transport of drugs is proposed for the protection of cardiovascular implants. Such compounds include antibiotic drugs, e.g. gentamycin, cefamizin or kefadim, adsorbed on ferro-carbon magnetic particles. Such particles were injected regionally through a catheter into the bloodstream. The prostheses of the blood vessel or heart valve contained a ferromagnetic target (permendur coils or rings), magnetized by an external magnetic field. The high gradient magnetic field (dynamic factor ▽(H²/2) ≈ l0⁷ Oe²/cm) in the vicinity of the target retained the magnetic particles even in the strongest blood flow. The efficiency of the adsorbent accumulation in the implant was studied in model systems and animals (dogs). The method was able to create therapeutic doses of the drug in the target organ, while the drug’s background concentration throughout the rest of the organism remained minimal.