Review of the Techniques Used for Investigating the Role Elastin and Collagen Play in Arterial Wall Mechanics

Alessandro Giudici, Ian B. Wilkinson, Ashraf W. Khir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

The arterial wall is characterised by a complex microstructure that impacts the mechanical properties of the vascular tissue. The main components consist of collagen and elastin fibres, proteoglycans, Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (VSMCs) and ground matrix. While VSMCs play a key role in the active mechanical response of arteries, collagen and elastin determine the passive mechanics. Several experimental methods have been designed to investigate the role of these structural proteins in determining the passive mechanics of the arterial wall. Microscopy imaging of load-free or fixed samples provides useful information on the structure-function coupling of the vascular tissue, and mechanical testing provides information on the mechanical role of collagen and elastin networks. However, when these techniques are used separately, they fail to provide a full picture of the arterial micromechanics. More recently, advances in imaging techniques have allowed combining both methods, thus dynamically imaging the sample while loaded in a pseudo-physiological way, and overcoming the limitation of using either of the two methods separately. The present review aims at describing the techniques currently available to researchers for the investigation of the arterial wall micromechanics. This review also aims to elucidate the current understanding of arterial mechanics and identify some research gaps.
Original languageEnglish
Article number9127811
Pages (from-to)256-269
Number of pages14
JournalIEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
Volume14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Arterial mechanics
  • Arteries
  • Media
  • Microscopy
  • Pathology
  • Proteins
  • Stress
  • Arterial microstructure
  • Arterial stiffness
  • Collagen
  • Elastin

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Review of the Techniques Used for Investigating the Role Elastin and Collagen Play in Arterial Wall Mechanics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this