Soft tissue biomechanics focuses on the mechanical properties of biological soft tissues under physiological and pathological conditions, including general mechanical properties such as stress-strain curves, toughness, and strength, as well as soft tissue-specific characteristics such as activity, viscoelasticity, and anisotropy, etc. CD BioSciences provides biomechanical analysis services for different soft tissues with its rich experience in the field of biomechanics.
Biomechanical Properties of Different Soft Tissues
Skin
The main components that determine these biomechanical properties of skin such as viscoelasticity, nonlinearity, anisotropy, stress-strain curves, and creep are the collagen, elastin, and matrix that make up the dermis. Of these, collagen is mainly related to skin stiffness, elastin is mainly related to skin elasticity, various glycosaminoglycans in the matrix show their viscosity, and the stratum corneum provides stiffness and inextensibility.
Muscle
The muscle stress-strain curve at the organ level is like that of the skin, with typical soft tissue properties. In addition to this, muscle tissue has active contractility mediated by a combination of actin and myosin. Muscle tissue also has thixotropic properties, which change mechanically when subjected to external forces or active contraction.
Tendons & Ligaments
Collagen fibers account for approximately 80% of the dry weight of tendons and are the basis of their multi-layered delicate structure, which is arranged in parallel to give the tissue its stiffness and elasticity. Like most viscoelastic materials, tendons and ligaments also have nonlinear, hysteresis stress-strain curves, while exhibiting anisotropy, creep, and stress relaxation.
Nerves
Nerve tissue, as a viscoelastic solid, is like other soft tissues and has properties such as stress relaxation and creep. The central nerve is relatively fixed in the body and protected by a large number of structures, which is subject to relatively low stress; whereas the peripheral nerves are complex or superficial in the body and are susceptible to damage by various physical and chemical factors inside and outside the body.
Blood Vessels
Blood vessels are usually composed of three structural layers: the inner membrane, the middle membrane, and the outer membrane, so the vessel wall is also a viscoelastic body with the same mechanical properties as other soft tissues, such as creep and stress relaxation.
Tendons and ligaments are attached to the bones [1].
The Important Role of the Cytoskeleton in Soft Tissue Mechanics
The cytoskeleton plays an important role in maintaining the normal morphology of cells, withstanding certain external forces, and at the same time maintaining the normal operation of various cell functions. Only with a normal cytoskeletal structure can various cells maintain their morphological integrity and withstand certain external forces.
- Microtubule: Based on their important role in mitosis, microtubule can be used as a therapeutic target for soft tissue tumors.
- Actin: Actin affects the thixotropic and active contractile properties of the muscle, while the muscle fibers form a plummeting angle with the tendon to characterize the functional properties of the muscle.
- Intermediate Filaments: Abnormalities in the structure of keratin intermediate filaments can lead to an attenuation of the mechanical strength and properties of the cells, as evidenced by increased skin fragility and intraepidermal blister formation.
Our Services
Research has shown that both internal and external physical forces can act through the cytoskeleton to affect local mechanical properties and cellular behavior. CD BioSciences has a well-established technology platform and sophisticated instrumentation to accurately measure the mechanical properties of biological tissues.
- Soft Tissue Mechanical Properties Assay
We theoretically characterize the stress-strain response of various soft tissues through viscoelastic or hyperelastic models to predict their mechanical response under dynamic mechanical stimuli, providing our clients with realistic experimental data on soft tissue biomechanics.
- Soft Tissues Viscoelastic Analysis
- Soft Tissues Stress-strain Response Analysis
- Soft Tissue Injury Mechanism Assessment
We provide our clients with animal experiments, dummy experiments, numerical simulations, and other biological soft tissue injury assessment experiments to conduct research on non-lethal strike damage and maneuver protection technologies.
Our Advantages
Advanced Biotechnology
Customizable Designs
Competitive Pricing
Best After-sales Service
CD BioSciences has a professional team and advanced equipment, and the whole process is operated by experienced technicians to provide our customers with cytoskeleton-related research service. If you have any needs, please contact us.
Reference
- Lu H H, et al. Functional attachment of soft tissues to bone: development, healing, and tissue engineering[J]. Annual review of biomedical engineering, 2013, 15: 201.
For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.
