Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.
Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2012 Mar;11(3-4):355-61. doi: 10.1007/s10237-011-0315-1. Epub 2011 May 22.
Soft tissues, such as tendons, skin, arteries, or lung, are constantly subject to mechanical stresses in vivo. None more so than the aortic heart valve that experiences an array of forces including shear stress, cyclic pressure, strain, and flexion. Anisotropic biaxial cyclic stretch maintains valve homeostasis; however, abnormal forces are implicated in disease progression. The response of the valve endothelium to deviations from physiological levels has not been fully characterized. Here, we show the design and validation of a novel stretch apparatus capable of applying biaxial stretch to viable heart valve tissue, while simultaneously allowing for live en face endothelial cell imaging via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Real-time imaging of tissue is possible while undergoing highly characterized mechanical conditions and maintaining the native extracellular matrix. Thus, it provides significant advantages over traditional cell culture or in vivo animal models. Planar biaxial tissue stretching with simultaneous live cell imaging could prove useful in studying the mechanobiology of any soft tissue.
软组织，如肌腱、皮肤、动脉或肺，在体内会不断受到机械应力的作用。没有什么比主动脉心脏瓣膜更能经受多种力的作用，包括切变应力、循环压力、应变和弯曲。各向异性双轴循环拉伸维持瓣膜内稳态；然而，异常力与疾病进展有关。瓣膜内皮细胞对生理水平偏差的反应尚未完全描述。在这里，我们展示了一种新颖的拉伸装置的设计和验证，该装置能够对活的心脏瓣膜组织施加双轴拉伸，同时通过共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（CLSM）允许进行活的内皮细胞成像。在经历高度特征化的机械条件的同时，对组织进行实时成像，并保持天然细胞外基质。因此，它与传统的细胞培养或体内动物模型相比具有显著优势。具有同时进行活细胞成像的平面双轴组织拉伸可能在研究任何软组织的力学生物学方面都非常有用。
