Mechanical properties of the premature lung: From tissue deformation under load to mechanosensitivity of alveolar cells.

ABSTRACT: Many preterm infants require mechanical ventilation as life-saving therapy. However, ventilation-induced overpressure can result in lung diseases. Considering the lung as a viscoelastic material, positive pressure inside the lung results in increased hydrostatic pressure and tissue compression. To elucidate the effect of positive pressure on lung tissue mechanics and cell behavior, we mimic the effect of overpressure by employing an uniaxial load onto fetal and adult rat lungs with different deformation rates. Additionally, tissue expansion during tidal breathing due to a negative intrathoracic pressure was addressed by uniaxial tension. We found a hyperelastic deformation behavior of fetal tissues under compression and tension with a remarkable strain stiffening. In contrast, adult lungs

SUBMITTER: Naumann J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9523442 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature