Mechanical characterization of anisotropic planar biological soft tissues using finite indentation: Experimental feasibility

Abstract Heart valve tissue engineering offers a promising alternative for current treatment and replacement strategies, e.g., synthetic or bioprosthetic heart valves. In vitro mechanical conditioning is an important tool for engineering strong, implantable heart valves. Detailed knowledge of the me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biomechanics 2008-01, Vol.41 (2), p.422-429
Main Authors: Cox, Martijn A.J, Driessen, Niels J.B, Boerboom, Ralf A, Bouten, Carlijn V.C, Baaijens, Frank P.T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Collagen
Computer Simulation
Connective Tissue - physiology
Elasticity
Experimental validation
Feasibility Studies
Hardness
Hardness Tests - methods
Heart - physiology
Humans
In Vitro Techniques
Inverse FE
Local characterization
Mechanical properties
Models, Biological
Parameter estimation
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Stress, Mechanical
Tissue engineering
Tissues
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Summary:Abstract Heart valve tissue engineering offers a promising alternative for current treatment and replacement strategies, e.g., synthetic or bioprosthetic heart valves. In vitro mechanical conditioning is an important tool for engineering strong, implantable heart valves. Detailed knowledge of the mechanical properties of the native tissue as well as the developing tissue construct is vital for a better understanding and control of the remodeling processes induced by mechanical conditioning. The nonlinear, anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical behavior of heart valve tissue necessitates a mechanical characterization method that is capable of dealing with these complexities. In a recent computational study we showed that one single indentation test, combining force and deformation gradient data, provides sufficient information for local characterization of nonlinear soft anisotropic tissue properties. In the current study this approach is validated in two steps. First, indentation tests with varying indenter sizes are performed on linear elastic PDMS rubbers and compared to tensile tests on the same specimen. For the second step, tissue constructs are engineered using uniaxial or equibiaxial static constrained culture conditions. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used to quantify the anisotropy in the tissue constructs. For both validation steps, material parameters are estimated by inverse fitting of a computational model to the experimental results.
ISSN:0021-9290
1873-2380
DOI:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2007.08.006