Mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix of the aorta studied by enzymatic treatments.

ABSTRACT: The microarchitecture of different components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial to our understanding of the properties of a tissue. In the study presented here, we used a top-down approach to understand how the interplay among different fibers determines the mechanical properties of real tissues. By selectively removing different elements of the arterial wall, we were able to measure the contribution of the different constituents of the ECM to the mechanical properties of the whole tissue. Changes in the network structure were imaged with the use of two-photon microscopy. We used an atomic force microscope to measure changes in the mechanical properties by performing nanoindentation experiments. We show that although the removal of a key element of the ECM reduced the local stif

SUBMITTER: Beenakker JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3328707 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature