Faculty of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med. 2013 Sep-Oct;5(5):523-38. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1229. Epub 2013 Jun 11.
Computational modeling of tendon lags the development of computational models for other tissues. A major bottleneck in the development of realistic computational models for Achilles tendon is the absence of detailed conceptual and theoretical models as to how the tissue actually functions. Without the conceptual models to provide a theoretical framework to guide the development and integration of multiscale computational models, modeling of the Achilles tendon to date has tended to be piecemeal and focused on specific mechanical or biochemical issues. In this paper, we present a new conceptual model of Achilles tendon tissue homeostasis, and discuss this model in terms of existing computational models of tendon. This approach has the benefits of structuring the research on relevant computational modeling to date, while allowing us to identify new computational models requiring development. The critically important functional issue for tendon is that it is continually damaged during use and so has to be repaired. From this follows the centrally important issue of homeostasis of the load carrying collagen fibrils within the collagen fibers of the Achilles tendon. Collagen fibrils may be damaged mechanically-by loading, or damaged biochemically-by proteases. Upon reviewing existing computational models within this conceptual framework of the Achilles tendon structure and function, we demonstrate that a great deal of theoretical and experimental research remains to be done before there are reliably predictive multiscale computational model of Achilles tendon in health and disease.
肌腱的计算建模落后于其他组织的计算模型的发展。在为跟腱开发逼真的计算模型时，一个主要的瓶颈是缺乏关于组织实际功能的详细概念和理论模型。如果没有概念模型为多尺度计算模型的开发和整合提供理论框架，那么迄今为止对跟腱的建模往往是零碎的，并且集中在特定的机械或生化问题上。在本文中，我们提出了一种跟腱组织内稳态的新概念模型，并根据现有的跟腱计算模型讨论了这个模型。这种方法的优点是对迄今为止相关的计算建模研究进行了结构化，同时允许我们确定需要开发的新计算模型。对肌腱来说至关重要的功能问题是，它在使用过程中不断受到损伤，因此必须进行修复。由此产生了一个极为重要的问题，即跟腱中承载胶原纤维内的胶原纤维的内稳态。胶原纤维可能会因负载而受到机械损伤，也可能会因蛋白酶而受到生化损伤。在审查了这个概念框架内现有的跟腱结构和功能的计算模型之后，我们证明在健康和疾病状态下，要开发出可靠的、具有预测性的跟腱多尺度计算模型，仍有大量的理论和实验研究需要完成。
