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Intramural Distributions of GAGs and Collagen vs. Opening Angle of the Intact Porcine Aortic Wall

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Abstract

The heterogeneity and contribution of collagen and elastin to residual stresses have been thoroughly studied, but more recently, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) also emerged as potential regulators. In this study, the opening angle of aortic rings (an indicator of circumferential residual stresses) and the mural distributions of sulfated GAGs (sGAG), collagen, and elastin were quantified in the ascending, aortic arch and descending thoracic regions of 5- to 6-month-old pigs. The opening angle correlated positively with the aortic ring’s mean radius and thickness, with good and moderate correlations respectively. The correlations between the sGAG, collagen, elastin, and collagen:sGAG ratio and the opening angle were evaluated to identify aortic compositional factors that could play roles in regulating circumferential residual stresses. The total collagen:sGAG ratio displayed the strongest correlation with the opening angle (r = − 0.715, p < 0.001), followed by the total sGAG content which demonstrated a good correlation (r = 0.623, p < 0.001). Additionally, the intramural gradients of collagen, sGAG and collagen:sGAG correlated moderately with the opening angle. We propose that, in addition to the individual role sGAG play through their content and intramural gradient, the interaction between collagen and sGAG should be considered when evaluating circumferential residual stresses in the aorta.

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  • 26 January 2022

    The original article was revised to correct the editorial responsibility line

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Xudong Cao for the use of some of his equipment. This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (JPS: RGPIN-2017-04593, 2017-2022; MRL: RGPIN-2017-04588, 2017-2022). Instruments used in the study were acquired with funds from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (JPS: CFI-37732; 2020-2022) with matching funds from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Ontario Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada

    Noor M. Ghadie & Michel R. Labrosse

  2. Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N6N5, Canada

    Jean-Philippe St-Pierre

  3. Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1Y4W7, Canada

    Michel R. Labrosse

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  1. Noor M. Ghadie
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Correspondence to Michel R. Labrosse.

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Ghadie, N.M., St-Pierre, JP. & Labrosse, M.R. Intramural Distributions of GAGs and Collagen vs. Opening Angle of the Intact Porcine Aortic Wall. Ann Biomed Eng 50, 157–168 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-022-02901-8

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