11 In both humans 12 and animals, 13, 14 atherosclerosis develops preferentially at arterial branch points and certain regions of the aortic arch, including aortic branch points. Extracellular deposition of LDL in the arterial intima and media is an essential early step in this process. In addition to its influence on mechanical properties, the extracellular matrix plays an essential role in LDL accumulation in atherogenesis. Although these macromolecules generate the wall’s biphasic mechanical response to pressure, the specific nature of their microstructure remains an important missing element in the modeling of wall mechanics. Changes in these mechanical properties with aging, 4 smoking, 5 diabetes, 6 hypertension, 7 and atherosclerosis 3 8} are associated with modifications of the collagen and elastin scaffold. At higher pressures, displacement is limited by the stiffer collagen. At low pressures, the high compliance of elastin dominates the wall displacement. Arterial wall mechanical properties and susceptibility to pathologic vascular remodeling, such as atherosclerosis, are determined by the macromolecular structure of collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans 1 2 3.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |