猪降主动脉腹侧与背侧组织力学性能的实验研究

Experimental study on mechanical properties of the ventral and the dorsal tissues of porcine descending aorta

动脉组织的力学性能对于维持心血管健康具有重要意义,并与心血管相关疾病的发生发展密切相关。主动脉腹侧和背侧组织力学性能之间存在显著差异,但缺乏量化的力学性能参数,且其成因尚不清楚。本文以猪降主动脉腹侧与背侧组织为研究对象,通过双轴拉伸方法获取应力-应变曲线,分析组织正交各向异性,采用Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel型应变能函数描述动脉组织力学性能参数,采用Elastic Van Gieson(EVG)法和天狼星红染色法观测动脉组织弹性纤维和胶原纤维显微结构。结果表明,与降主动脉腹侧组织相比,降主动脉背侧组织表现出更明显的正交各向异性,且在周向上的弹性模量明显大于降主动脉腹侧组织。降主动脉腹侧和背侧组织的超弹本构参数之间差异均无统计学意义,但几乎所有降主动脉组织的纤维角度都小于0.785 rad(45°),胶原纤维的排列更趋于周向。EVG和天狼星红染色显示降主动脉腹侧外-中膜弹性纤维层密度明显高于背侧组织,外-中膜胶原纤维背侧多于腹侧。结果提示,猪降主动脉背侧组织与腹侧组织之间的力学性能差异与外-中膜组织中的微观结构有关。在相对较小的应变范围内,可忽略降主动脉腹侧与背侧组织力学性能的差异;当应变较高时,则需区别对待。本研究结果可为动脉疾病(如动脉夹层)的成因以及人工血管设计等提供数据参考。

The mechanical properties of the aorta tissue is not only important for maintaining the cardiovascular health, but also is closely related to the development of cardiovascular diseases. There are obvious differences between the ventral and dorsal tissues of the descending aorta. However, the cause of the difference is still unclear. In this study, a biaxial tensile approach was used to determine the parameters of porcine descending aorta by analyzing the stress-strain curves. The strain energy functions Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel was adopted to characterize the orthotropic parameters of mechanical properties. Elastic Van Gieson (EVG) and Sirius red stain were used to observe the microarchitecture of elastic and collagen fibers, respectively. Our results showed that the tissue of descending aorta had more orthotropic and higher elastic modulus in the dorsal region compared to the ventral region in the circumferential direction. No significant difference was found in hyperelastic constitutive parameters between the dorsal and ventral regions, but the angle of collagen fiber was smaller than 0.785 rad (45°) in both dorsal and ventral regions. The arrangement of fiber was inclined to be circumferential. EVG and Sirius red stain showed that in outer-middle membrane of the descending aorta, the density of elastic fibrous layer of the ventral region was higher than that of the dorsal region;the amount of collagen fibers in dorsal region was more than that of the ventral region. The results suggested that the difference of mechanical properties between the dorsal and ventral tissues in the descending aorta was related to the microstructure of the outer membrane of the aorta. In the relatively small strain range, the difference in mechanical properties between the ventral and dorsal tissues of the descending aorta can be ignored;when the strain is higher, it needs to be treated differently. The results of this study provide data for the etiology of arterial disease (such as arterial dissection) and the design of artificial blood vessel.