Passive mechanics and connective tissue composition of canine arteries

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Abstract
Intact cylindrical segments of canine carotid, renal, mesenteric, iliac and coronary arteries were studied in vitro under conditions of passive smooth muscle to correlate passive mechanical properties with connective tissue composition. Measurements of external diameter, axial wall force and transmural pressure were made under conditions of slow continuous inflation between 0-250 mmHg. These data were used to compute values of wall stress and strain components, incremental and anisotropic elastic constants, and strain energy density. Collagen (C) and elastin (E) content, water content, total connective tissue content (C + E), and C/E were determined on these same segments. No clear relation was found between C/E and passive mechanical properties for these several sites. Values of low-strain incremental modulus correlated well with elastin content, but values of high-strain incremental modulus did not correlate well with collagen content. Values of incremental elastic moduli at 125 mmHg did not correlate well with collagen and elastin content. Using a simple model of collagen and elastin fibers arranged in parallel, differences in the passive mechanical properties of these arteries can be accounted for by differences in the fraction of collagen fibers supporting wall stress at different pressures (or strains) and in their water content. The arterial wall can still be treated as a homogeneous structure.

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