Aspden R M
Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Manchester, U.K.
J Theor Biol. 1988 Jan 21;130(2):213-21. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5193(88)80096-1.
A theory is presented that relates changes in the mechanical properties of the uterine cervix during pregnancy and the puerperium to changes in biochemical composition. The cervical connective tissue is considered as a fibre-reinforced composite material in which collagen fibres are embedded in a gel-like ground substance. Theories derived from synthetic fibrous composites show that changes in the collagen concentration and organization, alteration of the relative proportions of molecular species in the ground substance and changes in the water content can account for the marked alteration in mechanical properties observed by the end of pregnancy.
提出了一种理论，该理论将妊娠和产褥期子宫颈机械性能的变化与生化组成的变化联系起来。宫颈结缔组织被视为一种纤维增强复合材料，其中胶原纤维嵌入凝胶状基质中。源自合成纤维复合材料的理论表明，胶原浓度和组织结构的变化、基质中分子种类相对比例的改变以及含水量的变化，可以解释妊娠末期观察到的机械性能的显著改变。
