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Simultaneous Measurement of Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Load in Rat Skin After Strain Application In Vitro

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Abstract

Skin provides the flexible, protective covering of the body. It consists of a network of fibrous proteins embedded in a viscoelastic gel. Theoretical models of soft tissue demonstrate that behavior of such systems is strongly influenced by the relationship between the interstitial fluid pressure (Pif) and solid matrix stress. A microtensiometer for loading skin uniaxially in vitro was, therefore, developed and used in conjunction with the established servo-null micropipette technique to measure Pif. Dorsal rat skin specimens were preloaded to 100 mN, where Pif was 2.3±1.3 mm Hg (mean±SE, n=12) above ambient, and then strained by 4%. Load instantaneously increased and the subsequent decay was described by the function, F(t)=F(1)[1-CfLn(t)]. F(1), related to the instantaneous elasticity, was 272 ± 42 mN (n=12) while, Cf was 0.0894 ± 0.0026 [Ln(s)]-1 (n=12). A similar function P(t)=P_s(1)[1-CpsLn(t)], where Ps(1)=27 ± 5 mm Hg and Cps=0.1274 ± 0.0097 [Ln(s)]-1 (n=12) fitted the decay of Pif after 20 s with a residual ≥0.82, though, Pif fell more rapidly over the initial 10 s. Pif and stress can be measured simultaneously with the apparatus, though more precise determination of the depth at which pressure is measured is required for quantitative comparison of the magnitude of these two parameters. © 2003 Biomedical Engineering Society.

PAC2003: 8719Rr, 8719Tt

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies Vei 91, 5009, Bergen, Norway

    David M. Wright, Helge Wiig, Joel L. Bert & Rolf K. Reed

  2. School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL, United Kingdom

    C. Peter Winlove

  3. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2216 Main Mall, Vancouver, B. C., Canada, V6T 1Z4

    Joel L. Bert

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Wright, D.M., Wiig, H., Winlove, C.P. et al. Simultaneous Measurement of Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Load in Rat Skin After Strain Application In Vitro . Annals of Biomedical Engineering 31, 1246–1254 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1114/1.1616933

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