Distinctive structure, composition and biomechanics of collagen fibrils in vaginal wall connective tissues associated with pelvic organ prolapse.

ABSTRACT: Collagen is the predominant structural protein within connective tissues. Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is characterized by weakening of the pelvic floor connective tissues and loss of support for pelvic organs. In this study, we examined the multiscale structure, molecular composition and biomechanics of native collagen fibrils in connective tissues of the posterior vaginal fornix collected from healthy women and POP patients, and established the correlation of these properties with clinical POP quantification (POP-Q) scores. The collagen characteristics, including collagen amount, ratio of Collagen I and Collagen III, collagen fibril d-period, alignment and stiffness, were found to change progressively with the increase of the clinical measurement of Point C, a measure of uterine descent a

SUBMITTER: Chi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10182770 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature