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ECB-ART-42064
Biophys J 2011 Jun 22;10012:3008-15. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.04.052.
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Viscoelastic properties of isolated collagen fibrils.

Shen ZL , Kahn H , Ballarini R , Eppell SJ .


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Understanding the viscoelastic behavior of collagenous tissues with complex hierarchical structures requires knowledge of the properties at each structural level. Whole tissues have been studied extensively, but less is known about the mechanical behavior at the submicron, fibrillar level. Using a microelectromechanical systems platform, in vitro coupled creep and stress relaxation tests were performed on collagen fibrils isolated from the sea cucumber dermis. Stress-strain-time data indicate that isolated fibrils exhibit viscoelastic behavior that could be fitted using the Maxwell-Weichert model. The fibrils showed an elastic modulus of 123 ± 46 MPa. The time-dependent behavior was well fit using the two-time-constant Maxwell-Weichert model with a fast time response of 7 ± 2 s and a slow time response of 102 ± 5 s. The fibrillar relaxation time was smaller than literature values for tissue-level relaxation time, suggesting that tissue relaxation is dominated by noncollagenous components (e.g., proteoglycans). Each specimen was tested three times, and the only statistically significant difference found was that the elastic modulus is larger in the first test than in the subsequent two tests, indicating that viscous properties of collagen fibrils are not sensitive to the history of previous tests.

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Genes referenced: LOC100887844

References [+] :
Abramowitch, An improved method to analyze the stress relaxation of ligaments following a finite ramp time based on the quasi-linear viscoelastic theory. 2004, Pubmed