perturbing-endothelial-biomechanics-via-connexin-43-structural

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption

Endothelial cells have been established to generate intercellular stresses and tractions, but the role gap junctions play in endothelial intercellular ...

University of Central Florida

Mechanobiology involves the investigation of mechanical forces and their effect on the development, physiology, and pathology of biological systems. The human body has garnered much attention from many groups in the field, as mechanical forces have been shown to influence almost all aspects of human life ranging from breathing to cancer metastasis. Beyond being influential in human systems, mechanical forces have also been shown to impact nonhuman systems such as algae and zebrafish. Studies of nonhuman and human systems at the cellular level have primarily been done in two-dimensional (2D) environments, but most of these systems reside in three-dimensional (3D) environments. Furthermore, outcomes obtained from 3D studies are often quite different than those from 2D studies. We present here an overview of a select group of human and nonhuman systems in 2D and 3D environments. We also highlight mechanobiological approaches and their respective implications for human and nonhuman physiology. 

2D and 3D Mechanobiology in Human and Nonhuman Systems.

Blood vessels may be found throughout the entire body and their importance to human life is undeniable. This is evident in the fact that a malfunctioning blood vessel can result in mild symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain to more severe symptoms such as a heart attack or stroke, to even death in the severest of cases. Furthermore, there are a host of pathologies that have been linked to the human vasculature. As a result many researchers have attempted to unlock the mysteries of the vasculature by performing studies that duplicate the physiological structural, chemical, and mechanical properties known to exist. While the ideal study would consist of utilizing living, blood vessels derived from human tissue, such studies are not always possible since intact human blood vessels are not readily accessible and there are immense technical difficulties associated with such studies. These limitations have opened the door for the development of microdevices modeled after the human vasculature as it is believed by many researchers in the field that such devices can one day replace tissue models. In this review we present an overview of microdevices developed to mimic various types of vasculature found throughout the human body. Although the human body contains a diverse array of vascular systems for this review we limit our discussion to the cardiovascular system and cerebrovascular system and discuss such systems that have been fabricated in both 2D and 3D configurations.

Md. Mydul Islam

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Central Florida

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption

Md. Mydul Islam

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Central Florida

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering