Experimental Characterization of Vascular Tissue Viscoelasticity with Emphasis on Elastin's Role

Abstract

Elucidating how cardiovascular biomechanics is regulated during health and disease is critical for developing diagnostic and therapeutic methods. The extracellular matrix of cardiovascular tissue is composed of multiple fibrillar networks embedded in an amorphous ground substance and has been found to reveal time-dependent mechanical behavior. Given the multiscale nature of tissue biomechanics, an accurate description of cardiovascular biomechanics can be obtained only when microstructural morphology is characterized and put together in correlation with tissue-scale mechanics. This study constitutes the initial steps toward a full description of cardiovascular tissue biomechanics by examining two fundamental questions: How does the elastin microstructure change with tissue-level deformations? And how does the extracellular matrix composition affect tissue biomechanics? The outcome of this dissertation is believed to contribute to the field of cardiovascular tissue biomechanics by addressing some of the fundamental existing questions therein. Assessing alterations in microstructural morphology requires quantified measures which can be challenging given the complex, local and interconnected conformations of tissue structural components embedded in the extracellular matrix. In this study, new image-based methods for quantification of tissue microstructure were developed and examined on aortic tissue under different deformation states. Although in their infancy stages of development, the methods yielded encouraging results consistent with existing perceptions of tissue deformation. Changes in microstructure were investigated by examining histological images of deformed and undeformed tissues. The observations shed light on roles of elastin network in regulating tissue deformation. The viscoelastic behavior of specimens was studied using native, collagen-denatured, and elastin-isolated aortic tissues. The stress-relaxation responses of specimens provide insight into the significance of extracellular matrix composition on tissue biomechanics and how the tissue hydration affects the relaxation behavior. The responses were approximated by traditional spring-dashpot models and the results were interpreted in regards to microstructural composition.