The complex network structure of elastin and collagen extracellular matrix (ECM) forms the primary load bearing components in the arterial wall. The structural and mechanobiological interactions between elastin and collagen are important for properly functioning arteries. Here, we examined the elastin and collagen organization, realignment, and recruitment by coupling mechanical loading and mul...

Scaffold mechanical properties are essential in regulating the microenvironment of three-dimensional cell culture. A coupled fiber-matrix numerical model was developed in this work for predicting the mechanical response of collagen scaffolds subjected to various levels of non-enzymatic glycation and collagen concentrations. The scaffold was simulated by a Voronoi network embedded in a matrix. T...

We have been studying mainly the changes in collagen fiber solubility with respect to its influence on immobilization of the soleus muscle and Achilles tendon of rats. We decided to investigate also the change of the collagen fiber solubility in the gastrocnemius muscle which, like the soleus muscle, is assumed to influence the range of motion of the ankle joints. The purpose of this study, the...

Although collagen scaffolds have been used for regenerative medicine, they have insufficient mechanical strength. We made a weakly denatured collagen fiber scaffold from a collagen fiber suspension (physiological pH 7.4) through a process of freeze drying and denaturation with heat under low pressure (1 × 10(-1) Pa). Heat treatment formed cross-links between the collagen fibers, providing the s...

The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a fibrous connective tissue that anchors tooth cementum into alveolar bone. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a collagen-binding matricellular protein known to influence collagen fiber assembly in the PDL. In contrast, functional properties of the N-propeptide of collagen I, encoded in exon 2 of the COL1A1 gene, are poorly understood. In t...

Because the amount and structure of type I collagen are thought to affect the mechanics of ventricular myocardium, we investigated myocardial collagen structure and passive mechanical function in the osteogenesis imperfecta murine (oim) model of pro-alpha2(I) collagen deficiency, previously shown to have less collagen and impaired biomechanics in tendon and bone. Compared with wild-type litterm...

INTRODUCTION Elastic and collagen fiber deposition increases throughout normal lung development, and this fiber network significantly changes when development of the lung is disturbed. In preterm rats and lambs, prolonged hyperoxic exposure is associated with impaired alveolarization and causes significant changes in the deposition and structure of elastic fibers. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the e...

Several major lung pathologies are characterized by early modifications of the extracellular matrix (ECM) fibrillar collagen and elastin network. We report here the development of a nonlinear fiber-optic spectrometer, compatible with an endoscopic use, primarily intended for the recording of second-harmonic generation (SHG) signal of collagen and two-photon excited fluorescence (2PEF) of both c...

A novel collagen-based bio-composite was constructed from micro-crimped long collagen fiber bundles extracted from a soft coral embedded in alginate hydrogel matrix. The mechanical features of this bio-composite were studied for different fiber fractions and in longitudinal and transverse loading modes. The tensile modulus of the alginate hydrogel was 0.60±0.35MPa and in longitudinal collagen-r...