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Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials
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Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2017) | Viewed by 31571

Special Issue Editors

Dr.ir. S. (Sandra) Loerakker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Prof.dr.ir. F.P.T. (Frank) Baaijens

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological tissues demonstrate remarkably complex material behaviors, featuring aspects such as nonlinear stress–strain responses in case of soft tissues, anisotropy, viscoelasticity, and poroelasticity, all generally in large deformations. Most intriguing is the ability to adapt their composition and mechanical behavior in response to mechanical and biochemical stimuli. Understanding and having the ability to predict their material responses is essential towards understanding the physiological and pathological functionality of tissues within their in vivo contexts. Moreover, mathematical algorithms to predict how biological tissues adapt to changes in their environments are extremely valuable for understanding and predicting physiological adaptation and disease progression.

The earliest constitutive models to describe the material behavior of biological tissues mainly utilized phenomenological equations to relate the deformation to the stress state of the tissue. The advantages of this approach are that the results are relatively straightforward to interpret and it represents a computationally-efficient method to describe material responses. On the other hand, it is often difficult to assign a physiological meaning to material parameters, which complicates any interpretation in terms of biological mechanisms. The more recent developments of microstructurally-motivated constitutive models allow to dive deeper into the physical and biological principles of material behavior. In addition, the use of multiscale modeling is most likely inevitable for capturing phenomena occurring at different spatial and temporal scales. Specifically, the use of agent-based modeling opens up a wide range of opportunities for modeling biological processes that cannot be captured using a continuum framework.

Biomaterials are designed to interact with tissues inside the human body; as such, the development of constitutive models that describe their material responses is necessary to predict their functionality, and potentially also their effect on the material response and functionality of any surrounding tissues. Constitutive models are also essential here to optimize the performance of these materials with respect to the desired outcome.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

Dr.ir. S. (Sandra) Loerakker
Prof.dr.ir. F.P.T. (Frank) Baaijens
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biomechanics
  • Constitutive models
  • Biomaterials
  • Growth
  • Remodeling
  • Damage

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

1243 KiB  
Article
Numerical Modelling of Effects of Biphasic Layers of Corrosion Products to the Degradation of Magnesium Metal In Vitro
by Safia K. Ahmed, John P. Ward and Yang Liu
Materials 2018, 11(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11010001 - 21 Dec 2017
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 4343
Abstract
Magnesium (Mg) is becoming increasingly popular for orthopaedic implant materials. Its mechanical properties are closer to bone than other implant materials, allowing for more natural healing under stresses experienced during recovery. Being biodegradable, it also eliminates the requirement of further surgery to remove [...] Read more.
Magnesium (Mg) is becoming increasingly popular for orthopaedic implant materials. Its mechanical properties are closer to bone than other implant materials, allowing for more natural healing under stresses experienced during recovery. Being biodegradable, it also eliminates the requirement of further surgery to remove the hardware. However, Mg rapidly corrodes in clinically relevant aqueous environments, compromising its use. This problem can be addressed by alloying the Mg, but challenges remain at optimising the properties of the material for clinical use. In this paper, we present a mathematical model to provide a systematic means of quantitatively predicting Mg corrosion in aqueous environments, providing a means of informing standardisation of in vitro investigation of Mg alloy corrosion to determine implant design parameters. The model describes corrosion through reactions with water, to produce magnesium hydroxide Mg(OH) 2 , and subsequently with carbon dioxide to form magnesium carbonate MgCO 3 . The corrosion products produce distinct protective layers around the magnesium block that are modelled as porous media. The resulting model of advection–diffusion equations with multiple moving boundaries was solved numerically using asymptotic expansions to deal with singular cases. The model has few free parameters, and it is shown that these can be tuned to predict a full range of corrosion rates, reflecting differences between pure magnesium or magnesium alloys. Data from practicable in vitro experiments can be used to calibrate the model’s free parameters, from which model simulations using in vivo relevant geometries provide a cheap first step in optimising Mg-based implant materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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7055 KiB  
Article
Bombyx mori Silk Fibroin Scaffolds with Antheraea pernyi Silk Fibroin Micro/Nano Fibers for Promoting EA. hy926 Cell Proliferation
by Yongchun Chen, Weichao Yang, Weiwei Wang, Min Zhang and Mingzhong Li
Materials 2017, 10(10), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10101153 - 03 Oct 2017
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4839
Abstract
Achieving a high number of inter-pore channels and a nanofibrous structure similar to that of the extracellular matrix remains a challenge in the preparation of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BSF) scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin (ASF) micro/nano [...] Read more.
Achieving a high number of inter-pore channels and a nanofibrous structure similar to that of the extracellular matrix remains a challenge in the preparation of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BSF) scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin (ASF) micro/nano fibers with an average diameter of 324 nm were fabricated by electrospinning from an 8 wt % ASF solution in hexafluoroisopropanol. The electrospun fibers were cut into short fibers (~0.5 mm) and then dispersed in BSF solution. Next, BSF scaffolds with ASF micro/nano fibers were prepared by lyophilization. Scanning electron microscope images clearly showed connected channels between macropores after the addition of ASF micro/nano fibers; meanwhile, micro/nano fibers and micropores could be clearly observed on the pore walls. The results of in vitro cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EA. hy926) on BSF scaffolds showed that fibrous BSF scaffolds containing 150% ASF fibers significantly promoted cell proliferation during the initial stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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3247 KiB  
Article
Magnetic Force-Driven Graphene Patterns to Direct Synaptogenesis of Human Neuronal Cells
by Kyung-Joon Min, Tae-Hyung Kim and Jeong-Woo Choi
Materials 2017, 10(10), 1151; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10101151 - 02 Oct 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5238
Abstract
Precise control of axonal growth and synaptic junction formation are incredibly important to repair and/or to mimic human neuronal network. Here, we report a graphene oxide (GO)-based hybrid patterns that were proven to be excellent for guiding axonal growth and its consequent synapse [...] Read more.
Precise control of axonal growth and synaptic junction formation are incredibly important to repair and/or to mimic human neuronal network. Here, we report a graphene oxide (GO)-based hybrid patterns that were proven to be excellent for guiding axonal growth and its consequent synapse formation of human neural cells. Unlike the previous method that utilized micro-contacting printing technique to generate GO patterns, here, GO-encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles were first synthesized and utilized as core materials wherein the external magnetic force facilitated the transfer of GO film to the desired substrate. Owing to the intrinsic property of GO that provides stable cell attachment and growth for long-term culture, human neuronal cells could be effectively patterned on the biocompatible polymer substrates with different pattern sizes. By using magnetic force-driven GO hybrid patterns, we demonstrated that accumulation and expression level of Synaptophysin of neurons could be effectively controlled with varying sizes of each pattern. The synaptic network between each neuron could be precisely controlled and matched by guiding axonal direction. This work provides treatment and modeling of brain diseases and spinal cord injuries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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1037 KiB  
Article
Growth Description for Vessel Wall Adaptation: A Thick-Walled Mixture Model of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Evolution
by Andrii Grytsan, Thomas S. E. Eriksson, Paul N. Watton and T. Christian Gasser
Materials 2017, 10(9), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10090994 - 25 Aug 2017
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 5239
Abstract
(1) Background: Vascular tissue seems to adapt towards stable homeostatic mechanical conditions, however, failure of reaching homeostasis may result in pathologies. Current vascular tissue adaptation models use many ad hoc assumptions, the implications of which are far from being fully understood; (2) Methods: [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Vascular tissue seems to adapt towards stable homeostatic mechanical conditions, however, failure of reaching homeostasis may result in pathologies. Current vascular tissue adaptation models use many ad hoc assumptions, the implications of which are far from being fully understood; (2) Methods: The present study investigates the plausibility of different growth kinematics in modeling Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) evolution in time. A structurally motivated constitutive description for the vessel wall is coupled to multi-constituent tissue growth descriptions; Constituent deposition preserved either the constituent’s density or its volume, and Isotropic Volume Growth (IVG), in-Plane Volume Growth (PVG), in-Thickness Volume Growth (TVG) and No Volume Growth (NVG) describe the kinematics of the growing vessel wall. The sensitivity of key modeling parameters is explored, and predictions are assessed for their plausibility; (3) Results: AAA development based on TVG and NVG kinematics provided not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively different results compared to IVG and PVG kinematics. Specifically, for IVG and PVG kinematics, increasing collagen mass production accelerated AAA expansion which seems counterintuitive. In addition, TVG and NVG kinematics showed less sensitivity to the initial constituent volume fractions, than predictions based on IVG and PVG; (4) Conclusions: The choice of tissue growth kinematics is of crucial importance when modeling AAA growth. Much more interdisciplinary experimental work is required to develop and validate vascular tissue adaption models, before such models can be of any practical use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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4593 KiB  
Article
Genetically Engineered Phage Induced Selective H9c2 Cardiomyocytes Patterning in PDMS Microgrooves
by Youngjun Kim, Chunga Kwon and Hojeong Jeon
Materials 2017, 10(8), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10080973 - 21 Aug 2017
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6485
Abstract
A micro-patterned cell adhesive surface was prepared for future design of medical devices. One-dimensional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-patterns were prepared by a photolithography process. Afterwards, recombinant filamentous phages that displayed a short binding motif with a cell adhesive peptide (-RGD-) on p8 proteins were [...] Read more.
A micro-patterned cell adhesive surface was prepared for future design of medical devices. One-dimensional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-patterns were prepared by a photolithography process. Afterwards, recombinant filamentous phages that displayed a short binding motif with a cell adhesive peptide (-RGD-) on p8 proteins were immobilized on PDMS microgrooves through simple contact printing to study the cellular response of rat H9c2 cardiomyocyte. While the cell density decreased on PDMS micro-patterns, we observed enhanced cell proliferation and cell to surface interaction on the RGD-phage coated PDMS microgrooves. The RGD-phage coating also supported a better alignment of cell spreading rather than isotropic cell growths as we observed on non-pattered PDMS surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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3843 KiB  
Communication
Lateral Tension-Induced Penetration of Particles into a Liposome
by Kazuki Shigyou, Ken H. Nagai and Tsutomu Hamada
Materials 2017, 10(7), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070765 - 07 Jul 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4474
Abstract
It is important that we understand the mechanism of the penetration of particles into a living cell to achieve advances in bionanotechnology, such as for treatment, visualization within a cell, and genetic modification. Although there have been many studies on the application of [...] Read more.
It is important that we understand the mechanism of the penetration of particles into a living cell to achieve advances in bionanotechnology, such as for treatment, visualization within a cell, and genetic modification. Although there have been many studies on the application of functional particles to cells, the basic mechanism of penetration across a biological membrane is still poorly understood. Here we used a model membrane system to demonstrate that lateral membrane tension drives particle penetration across a lipid bilayer. After the application of osmotic pressure, fully wrapped particles on a liposome surface were found to enter the liposome. We discuss the mechanism of the tension-induced penetration in terms of narrow constriction of the membrane at the neck part. The present findings are expected to provide insight into the application of particles to biological systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Constitutive Modelling of Biological Tissues and Biomaterials)
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