Boundedness in a chemotaxis-haptotaxis model with gradient-dependent flux limitation (Q2236712)

This paper deals with a chemotaxis-haptotaxis system with a gradient-dependent flux-limitation: \[ \begin{cases} u_t=\Delta u-\chi \nabla\cdot\left(uf\left(|\nabla v|^2\right)\nabla v\right)-\xi\nabla\cdot(u\nabla w)+\mu u(1-u-w),&\ \ x\in\Omega,\ t>0,\\ v_t=\Delta v-v+u,&\ \ x\in\Omega,\ t>0,\\ w_t=-vw,&\ \ x\in\Omega,\ t>0,\\ \frac{\partial u}{\partial\nu}-\xi u \frac{\partial w}{\partial\nu}= \frac{\partial v}{\partial\nu}=0,&\ \ x\in\partial\Omega,\ t>0,\\ (u,v,w)|_{t=0}=(u_0,v_0,w_0),&\ \ x\in\Omega. \end{cases} \tag{1}\] Here \(\Omega\) is a smooth bounded domain in \(\mathbb R^n\), \(n\in\{2,3\}\), with boundary \(\partial\Omega\) and outward unit normal \(\nu\), parameters \(\chi,\xi,\mu>0\) are arbitrary constants, and function \(f\) satisfies \begin{align*} &f\in C^2([0,\infty)),\qquad f(w)\leq (1+w)^{\frac{p-2}{2}}\text{(\footnotemark)},\ \ w\in[0,\infty)\tag{f} \end{align*} The authors probably meant: \(|f(w)|\leq (1+w)^{\frac{p-2}{2}}\)for a constant \(p\in\left(1,\frac{n}{n-1}\right)\). System 1 is an extension of a model for cancer invasion which was developed in [\textit{M. A. J. Chaplain} and \textit{G. Lolas}, Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci. 15, No. 11, 1685--1734 (2005; Zbl 1094.92039)], [\textit{M. A. J. Chaplain} and \textit{G. Lolas}, Netw. Heterog. Media 1, No. 3, 399--439 (2006; Zbl 1108.92023)] and which corresponds to the case \(f\equiv 1\). A function \(f\) that satisfies (f) provides a gradient-dependent limitation of the chemotaxis flux, ultimately suppressing the blow-up phenomenon. More precisely, under conditions (f) and for smooth initial data \begin{align*} &(u_0,v_0,w_0)\in C(\overline\Omega)\times W^{1,\infty}(\Omega)\times C^{2+\theta}(\overline\Omega),\\ &u_0,v_0,w_0\geq0\text{ in }\Omega,\ \ u_0\not\equiv0,\\ &\frac{\partial w_0}{\partial\nu}=0\text{ on }\partial\Omega \end{align*} for some \(\theta\in(0,1)\) it is proved in this paper that the chemotaxis-haptotaxis system admits a unique classical solution which is global and bounded in \(\Omega\times(0,\infty)\).