Normal and Fibrotic Rat Livers Demonstrate Shear Strain Softening and Compression Stiffening: A Model for Soft Tissue Mechanics

• Published in: PLOS ONE Vol. 11; no. 1; p. e0146588
• Main Authors: Perepelyuk, Maryna, Chin, LiKang, Cao, Xuan, van Oosten, Anne, Shenoy, Vivek B., Janmey, Paul A., Wells, Rebecca G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science (PLoS) 06.01.2016; Public Library of Science
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Bioengineering; Care and treatment; Collagen; Complications and side effects; Compressibility; Compression; Compressive Strength; Development and progression; Engineering schools; Extracellular matrix; Fibrosis; Glycosaminoglycans; Glycosaminoglycans - analysis; Growth factors; In Vitro Techniques; Incompressibility; Legal medicine; Liver; Liver - physiology; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - chemically induced; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental - physiopathology; Liver diseases; Loss modulus; Materials science; Mathematical analysis; Matrix methods; Mechanical analysis; Mechanical properties; Mechanics; Mechanics (physics); Medicine; Models, Biological; Modulus of elasticity; Patient outcomes; Physiology; Plastic deformation; Q; R; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Research Article; Rheometry; Rodents; Science; Shear modulus; Shear strain; Shear Strength; Softening; Stiffening; Stiffness; Strain; Stress (physiology); Stress, Mechanical; Tissues; Viscoelasticity; Water flow; United States

Tissues including liver stiffen and acquire more extracellular matrix with fibrosis. The relationship between matrix content and stiffness, however, is non-linear, and stiffness is only one component of tissue mechanics. The mechanical response of tissues such as liver to physiological stresses is n...