The Young's modulus of fetal preterm and term amniotic membranes

Benson-Martin, Janine; Zammaretti, Prisca; Bilic, Grozdana; Schweizer, T.; Portmann-Lanz, Bettina; Burkhardt, Tilo; Zimmermann, Roland; Ochsenbein‐Kölble, Nicole

doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2005.12.011

Cited by 45 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Material properties of ex-vivo tissue samples of the uterus and fetal membrane have been reported by others, with tensile modulus ranging from 0.5 to 2 MPa for the uterus (Pearsall and Roberts 1978) and 2 to 30 MPa for the fetal membrane (Benson-Martin, Zammaretti, et al 2006; Oyen, Calvin and Cook 2004). The material characteristics of the cervix have been measured by our research group (Yao, Yoshida, et al 2014; Fernandez, Vink, et al 2013; Myers, Socrate, et al 2010, 2009; Myers, Paskaleva, et al 2008), where the tissue material response to loading is nonlinear, time-dependent, and anisotropic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Investigating the mechanical function of the cervix during pregnancy using finite element models derived from high-resolution 3D MRI

Fernández

House

Jambawalikar

et al. 2015

Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering

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Preterm birth is a strong contributor to perinatal mortality, and preterm infants that survive are at risk for long-term morbidities. During most of pregnancy appropriate mechanical function of the cervix is required to maintain the developing fetus in utero. Premature cervical softening and subsequent cervical shortening are hypothesized to cause preterm birth. Presently, there is a lack of understanding of the structural and material factors that influence the mechanical function of the cervix during pregnancy. In this study we build finite element (FE) models of the pregnant uterus, cervix, and fetal membrane based on magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) data in order to examine the mechanical function of the cervix under the physiologic loading conditions of pregnancy. We calculate the mechanical loading state of the cervix for two pregnant patients: 22 weeks gestational age with a normal cervical length and 28 weeks with a short cervix. We investigate the influence of 1) anatomical geometry 2) cervical material properties, and 3) fetal membrane material properties, including its adhesion properties, on the mechanical loading state of the cervix under physiologically relevant intrauterine pressures. Our study demonstrates that membrane-uterus interaction, cervical material modeling, and membrane mechanical properties are factors that must be deliberately and carefully handled in order to construct a high quality mechanical simulation of pregnancy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Investigating the mechanical function of the cervix during pregnancy using finite element models derived from high-resolution 3D MRI

Fernández

House

Jambawalikar

et al. 2015

Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering

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“…The foetal membrane must bear the load of hydrostatic pressure from amniotic fluid during gestation. In addition to chronic load of during normal pregnancy, foetal membranes must also likely bear repetitive minor loads, such as Braxton-hicks contractions (Bittar et al, 1996). The AM is approximately 20% of the chorioamnion thickness at term, but dominates the mechanical responses of the bi-layer, with both stiffness and strength by an order of magnitude greater than the chorion layer.…”

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One measure of elasticity is the Young's modulus, which is normally applied in mechanical physics and is defined as the ratio of applied stress to strain. It reported that Young's modulus of preterm (26-36 weeks) human AM is 3.6 MPa, whereas this modulus for term (36-40 weeks) human AM is 2.29 MPa (Benson-Martin et al, 2006). This mechanical change may be related to the collagen content, although there are conflicting reports regarding whether the amnion collagen content actually decreases with gestational age (BensonMartin et al, 2006;Manabe et al, 1991).…”

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Properties of the amniotic membrane for potential use in tissue engineering

Niknejad

Peirovi²,

Jorjani³

et al. 2008

eCM

685

757

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An important component of tissue engineering (TE) is the supporting matrix upon which cells and tissues grow, also known as the scaffold. Scaffolds must easily integrate with host tissue and provide an excellent environment for cell growth and differentiation. Most scaffold materials are naturally derived from mammalian tissues. The amniotic membrane (AM) is considered an important potential source for scaffolding material. The AM represents the innermost layer of the placenta and is composed of a single epithelial layer, a thick basement membrane and an avascular stroma. The special structure and biological viability of the AM allows it to be an ideal candidate for creating scaffolds used in TE. Epithelial cells derived from the AM have the advantages of stem cells, yet are a more suitable source of cells for TE than stem cells. The extracellular matrix components of the basement membrane of the AM create an almost native scaffold for cell seeding in TE. In addition, the AM has other biological properties important for TE, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-fibrosis, anti-scarring, as well as reasonable mechanical property and low immunogenicity. In this review, the various properties of the AM are discussed in light of their potential use for TE.

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“…One type of measurement of elasticity is the Young's modulus, which is defined as the ratio of applied stress to strain. It was reported that Young's modulus of the AM is between 2.29 and 3.6 MPa, where this modulus decreases as the fetal is reaching term [85]. Elastin has been proposed to provide the molecular basis for the aforementioned elasticity in the AM [86].…”

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%