Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technion, 3200003 Haifa, Israel.
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, 3200003 Haifa, Israel.
Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2023 Jun 19;15(2):6. doi: 10.31083/j.fbs1502006.
During pregnancy, the Fetal Membrane (FM) is subjected to mechanical stretching that may result in preterm labor. The structural integrity of the FM is maintained by its collagenous layer. Disconnection and reconnection of molecular bonds between collagen fibrils is the fundamental process that governs the irreversible mechanical and supramolecular changes in the FM. At a critical threshold strain, bundling and alignment of collagen fibrils alter the super-molecular structure of the collagenous layer. Recent studies indicate that these changes are associated with inflammation and/or expression of specific proteins that are known to be related to uterine contractions and labor. The potential healing of stretching-induced damages in the FM by mediators involved in mechano-transduction is discussed.
在妊娠期间，胎膜（FM）会受到机械拉伸，可能导致早产。FM 的结构完整性由其胶原层维持。胶原纤维之间分子键的断开和重新连接是控制 FM 不可逆的机械和超分子变化的基本过程。在临界阈值应变下，胶原纤维的束状和排列改变了胶原层的超分子结构。最近的研究表明，这些变化与炎症和/或特定蛋白质的表达有关，这些蛋白质已知与子宫收缩和分娩有关。讨论了机械转导涉及的介质对拉伸诱导的 FM 损伤的潜在修复作用。
