Pressure-induced collagen degradation in arterial tissue as a potential mechanism for degenerative arterial disease progression

摘要

Collagen fibre degradation is a strain-dependent process, whereby the magnitude of experienced strain dictates the rate of enzymatic cleavage. Studies have identified conflicting findings as to whether strain inhibits or enhances collagen degradation, which may be explained by the tissue type and tissue scale investigated, as well as the strain range considered. The aim of this study is to identify, for the first time, the strain-dependent degradation response of intact arterial vessels experiencing physiological pressures and apply these findings to a computational model to better understand degenerative arterial diseases, such as aneurysms.