Mechanical Roles in Formation of Oriented Collagen Fibers

Abstract

Collagen is a structural protein that is widely present in vertebrates, being usually distributed in tissues in the form of fibers. In living organisms, fibers are organized in different orientations in various tissues. As the structural base in connective tissue and load-bearing tissue, the orientation of collagen fibers plays an extremely important role in the mechanical properties and physiological and biochemical functions. The study on mechanics role in formation of oriented collagen fibers enables us to understand how discrete cells use limited molecular materials to create tissues with different structures, thereby promoting our understanding of the mechanism of tissue formation from scratch, from invisible to tangible. However, the current understanding of the mechanism of fiber orientation is still insufficient. In addition, existing fabrication methods of oriented fibers are varied and involve interdisciplinary study, and the achievements of each experiment are favorable to the construction and improvement of the fiber orientation theory. To this end, this review focuses on the preparation methods of oriented fibers and proposes a model explaining the formation process of oriented fibers in tendons based on the existing fiber theory.

Maiwei Yangfei decoction prevents bleomycin‑induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice

“…There are four types of collagens in lung tissues, where collagen I and collagen III are the most abundant ( 47 ). Collagenous fibers are an aggregated form of collagen secreted by the fibroblasts ( 48 ). Collagen primarily contains HYP, an amino acid present in the body's collagenous fibre ( 49 ).…”

Cardiac mechanostructure: Using mechanics and anisotropy as inspiration for developing epicardial therapies in treating myocardial infarction

“…Mutations in titin are the leading cause of familial dilated cardiomyopathy, presumably due to the inability of the heart to create passive tension and thus prevent dilation upon force [ 63 ]. Post-translational phosphorylation [ 64 , 65 ], disulfide bridge formation [ 66 ], calcium binding [ [66] , [67] , [68] ] and different isoforms [ [69] , [70] , [71] ] can have a significant impact on the stiffness of titin and thus the myocardial environment. For example, the N2BA titin isoform has a longer extendable I-region, resulting in increased compliance, as opposed to its counterpart N2B [ 69 ].…”

Fundamental Biomaterial Considerations in the Development of a 3D Model Representative of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

“…While it is evident that the discrepancy in moduli within these studies can be associated with the use of different measuring techniques [ 112 ], and the testing of opposing parts within the TM JCT [ 89 ], CSM [ 110 , 111 ], it could also be considered that the TM possesses anisotropic properties due to the collagen fibre orientation present, leading to a difference in compliance when applying opposing techniques for assessing TM mechanical properties, and possibly giving more insight into TM mechanical functionality [ 113 , 114 ]. This is particularly relevant, as the extent of collagen orientation effects the load-bearing properties of tissues, with the level of supercoiled collagen structure formed being key to this load-bearing capacity [ 115 , 116 ]. Abnormal collagen fibrillogenesis has been depicted in mice that are deficient in the same GAG’s as POAG patients [ 117 , 118 ], causing altered mechanical properties and similar markedly reduced tensile strength compared to glaucomatous TM tissue [ 118 ].…”