In vivo estimation of the contribution of elastin and collagen to the mechanical properties in the human abdominal aorta: effect of age and sex

2011 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Åstrand ◽  
J. Stålhand ◽  
J. Karlsson ◽  
M. Karlsson ◽  
B. Sonesson ◽  
...  

The mechanical properties of the aorta affect cardiac function and are related to cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. This study was designed to evaluate the isotropic (mainly elastin, elastiniso) and anisotropic (mainly collagen, collagenani) material parameters within the human aorta in vivo. Thirty healthy men and women in three different age categories (23–30, 41–54, and 67–72 yr) were included. A novel mechanical model was used to identify the mechanical properties and the strain field with aid of simultaneously recorded pressure and radius in the abdominal aorta. The magnitudes of the material parameters relating to both the stiffness of elastiniso and collagenani were in agreement with earlier in vitro studies. The load-bearing fraction attributed to collagenani oscillated from 10 to 30% between diastolic and systolic pressures during the cardiac cycle. With age, stiffness of elastiniso increased in men, despite the decrease in elastin content that has been found due to elastolysis. Furthermore, an increase in stiffness of collagenani at high physiological pressure was found. This might be due to increased glycation, as well as changed isoforms of collagen in the aortic wall with age. A marked sex difference was observed, with a much less age-related effect, both on elastiniso and collagenani stiffness in women. Possible factors of importance could be the effect of sex hormones, as well as differing collagen isoforms, between the sexes.

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 602-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Beattie ◽  
C. Xu ◽  
R. Vito ◽  
S. Glagov ◽  
M. C. Whang

An experimental technique was developed to determine the finite strain field in heterogeneous, diseased human aortic cross sections at physiologic pressures in vitro. Also, the distributions within the cross sections of four histologic features (disease-free zones, lipid accumulations, fibrous intimal tissue, and regions of calcification) were quantified using light microscopic morphometry. A model incorporating heterogeneous, plane stress finite elements coupled the experimental and histologic data. Tissue constituent mechanical properties were determined through an optimization strategy, and the distributions of stress and strain energy in the diseased vascular wall were calculated. Results show that the constituents of atherosclerotic lesions exhibit large differences in their bilinear mechanical properties. The distributions of stress and strain energy in the diseased vascular wall are strongly influenced by both lesion structure and composition. These results suggest that accounting for heterogeneities in the mechanical analysis of atherosclerotic arterial tissue is critical to establishing links between lesion morphology and the susceptibility of plaque to mechanical disruption in vivo.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Legerer ◽  
Zakaria A. Almsherqi ◽  
Socrates Dokos ◽  
Craig S. McLachlan

AbstractStructural changes occurring to the aortic wall can result in vascular stiffening. This is represented by a loss of vascular compliance during pulsatile flow, resulting in increased systolic and pulse blood pressure, particularly in populations aged 50 and over. Aortic stiffness is thought to be permanent and an active de-stiffening strategy is yet to be developed. Extra aortic elastic wrapping has been proposed as a surgical technique to boost aortic distensibility and treat hypertension in the elderly. Previously, in-vivo and in-vitro testing have suggested a pulse-pressure reduction potential of elastic wrapping in the stiffened aortas. Herein, we explore the feasibility of elastic aortic wrapping to improve simulated aortic compliance across the age span. Detailed computational studies of the anisotropic aortic wall mechanics, using data from human subjects, were performed, evaluating key performance properties for the interaction between the aortic wall and elastic aortic wrap procedure. Main determinants of the procedure’s efficiency are identified using a pre-defined aortic stiffness and wrap elasticity. Finite element analysis predicts that segmental aortic distensibility can be increased if elastic wrapping is applied to a simulated stiff aorta. Elastic aortic wrapping is calculated to have little impact on the compliance of an initially distensible aorta.


1961 ◽  
Vol 200 (3) ◽  
pp. 622-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leroy E. Duncan ◽  
Katherin Buck

The passage of labeled albumin into canine aortic wall in vivo and in vitro was studied. In vivo albumin entered the inner layer fastest in the ascending aorta and progressively less rapidly down the length of the aorta. In vitro, this gradient was partially preserved since albumin entered the inner layer of ascending aorta faster than that of descending aorta. The gradient was not completely preserved in vitro, since albumin entered the inner layer of abdominal aorta faster than that of descending thoracic aorta. The rapid entrance of albumin into the abdominal portion of the aorta in vitro appears to have been due to the maintenance of arterial blood pressure in the unusually dense capillary network of the abdominal aorta. The partial preservation of the gradient in the isolated aorta excludes phasic variation of intra- or extra-aortic pressure as a cause of the gradient.


2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 926-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Håkan Åstrand ◽  
Åsa Rydén-Ahlgren ◽  
Tomas Sandgren ◽  
Toste Länne

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Shida Long ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and age-related pulmonary disease. Nintedanib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one of the only two listed drugs against IPF. Regorafenib is a novel, orally active, multi-kinase inhibitor that has similar targets to nintedanib and is applied to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in patients. In this study, we first identified that regorafenib could alleviate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The in vivo experiments indicated that regorafenib suppresses collagen accumulation and myofibroblast activation. Further in vitro mechanism studies showed that regorafenib inhibits the activation and migration of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production, mainly through suppressing the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways. In vitro studies have also indicated that regorafenib could augment autophagy in myofibroblasts by suppressing TGF-β1/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, and could promote apoptosis in myofibroblasts. In conclusion, regorafenib attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Rosaria Meccariello ◽  
Stefania D’Angelo

Aging and, particularly, the onset of age-related diseases are associated with tissue dysfunction and macromolecular damage, some of which can be attributed to accumulation of oxidative damage. Recently, growing interest has emerged on the beneficial effects of plant-based diets for the prevention of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Several studies collectively suggests that the intake of polyphenols and their major food sources may exert beneficial effects on improving insulin resistance and related diabetes risk factors, such as inflammation and oxidative stress. They are the most abundant antioxidants in the diet, and their intake has been associated with a reduced aging in humans. Polyphenolic intake has been shown to be effective at ameliorating several age-related phenotypes, including oxidative stress, inflammation, impaired proteostasis, and cellular senescence, both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, effects of these phytochemicals (either pure forms or polyphenolic-food) are reviewed and summarized according to affected cellular signaling pathways. Finally, the effectiveness of the anti-aging preventive action of nutritional interventions based on diets rich in polyphenolic food, such as the diets of the Blue zones, are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donita L. Garland ◽  
Eric A. Pierce ◽  
Rosario Fernandez-Godino

AbstractThe complement system plays a role in the formation of sub-retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) deposits in early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the specific mechanisms that connect complement activation and deposit formation in AMD patients are unknown, which limits the development of efficient therapies to reduce or stop disease progression. We have previously demonstrated that C3 blockage prevents the formation of sub-RPE deposits in a mouse model of EFEMP1-associated macular degeneration. In this study, we have used double mutant Efemp1R345W/R345W:C5-/- mice to investigate the role of C5 in the formation of sub-RPE deposits in vivo and in vitro. The data revealed that the genetic ablation of C5 does not eliminate the formation of sub-RPE deposits. Contrarily, the absence of C5 in RPE cultures promotes complement dysregulation that results in increased activation of C3, which likely contributes to deposit formation even in the absence of EFEMP1-R345W mutant protein. The results also suggest that genetic ablation of C5 alters the extracellular matrix turnover through an effect on matrix metalloproteinases in RPE cell cultures. These results confirm that C3 rather than C5 could be an effective therapeutic target to treat early AMD.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5042
Author(s):  
Jaeyoung Kwon ◽  
Junhyeok Ock ◽  
Namkug Kim

3D printing technology has been extensively applied in the medical field, but the ability to replicate tissues that experience significant loads and undergo substantial deformation, such as the aorta, remains elusive. Therefore, this study proposed a method to imitate the mechanical characteristics of the aortic wall by 3D printing embedded patterns and combining two materials with different physical properties. First, we determined the mechanical properties of the selected base materials (Agilus and Dragonskin 30) and pattern materials (VeroCyan and TPU 95A) and performed tensile testing. Three patterns were designed and embedded in printed Agilus–VeroCyan and Dragonskin 30–TPU 95A specimens. Tensile tests were then performed on the printed specimens, and the stress-strain curves were evaluated. The samples with one of the two tested orthotropic patterns exceeded the tensile strength and strain properties of a human aorta. Specifically, a tensile strength of 2.15 ± 0.15 MPa and strain at breaking of 3.18 ± 0.05 mm/mm were measured in the study; the human aorta is considered to have tensile strength and strain at breaking of 2.0–3.0 MPa and 2.0–2.3 mm/mm, respectively. These findings indicate the potential for developing more representative aortic phantoms based on the approach in this study.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1206
Author(s):  
Aimilia D. Sklirou ◽  
Maria T. Angelopoulou ◽  
Aikaterini Argyropoulou ◽  
Eliza Chaita ◽  
Vasiliki Ioanna Boka ◽  
...  

Skin health is heavily affected by ultraviolet irradiation from the sun. In addition, senile skin is characterized by major changes in the collagen, elastin and in the hyaluronan content. Natural products (NPs) have been shown to delay cellular senescence or in vivo aging by regulating age-related signaling pathways. Moreover, NPs are a preferable source of photoprotective agents and have been proven to be useful against the undesirable skin hyperpigmentation. Greek flora harvests great plant diversity with approximately 6000 plant species, as it has a wealth of NPs. Here, we report an extensive screening among hundreds of plant species. More than 440 plant species and subspecies were selected and evaluated. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant and anti-melanogenic properties, while the most promising were further subjected to various in vitro and cell-based assays related to skin aging. In parallel, their chemical profile was analyzed with High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and/or Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). A variety of extracts were identified that can be of great value for the cosmetic industry, since they combine antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-melanogenic and anti-aging properties. In particular, the methanolic extracts of Sideritis scardica and Rosa damascena could be worthy of further attention, since they showed interesting chemical profiles and promising properties against specific targets involved in skin aging.


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