Collagen organization and structure in FLBN5^-/- mice using label-free microscopy: implications for pelvic organ prolapse.

ABSTRACT: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a gynecological disorder described by the descent of superior pelvic organs into or out of the vagina as a consequence of disrupted muscles and tissue. A thorough understanding of the etiology of POP is limited by the availability of clinically relevant samples, restricting longitudinal POP studies on soft-tissue biomechanics and structure to POP-induced models such as fibulin-5 knockout (FBLN5^-/-) mice. Despite being a principal constituent in the extracellular matrix, little is known about structural perturbations to collagen networks in the FBLN5^-/- mouse cervix. We identify significantly different collagen network populations in normal and prolapsed cervical cross-sections using two label-free, nonlinear m

SUBMITTER: Jennings CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10862878 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature