Biological materials can undergo large deformations and also show viscoelastic behaviour. One such material is the network of actin filaments found in biological cells, giving the cell much of its mechanical stiffness. A theory for predicting the relaxation behaviour of actin networks cross-linked with the cross-linker α-actinin is proposed. The constitutive model is based on a continuum approach involving a neo-Hookean material model, modified in terms of concentration of chemically activated cross-links. The chemical model builds on work done by Spiros (Doctoral thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1998) and has been modified to respond to mechanical stress experienced by the network. The deformation is split into a viscous and elastic part, and a thermodynamically motivated rate equation is assigned for the evolution of viscous deformation. The model predictions were evaluated for stress relaxation tests at different levels of strain and found to be in good agreement with experimental results for actin networks cross-linked with α-actinin.
Abstract:The actin cytoskeleton is essential for the continued function and survival of the cell. A peculiar mechanical characteristic of actin networks is their remodelling ability, providing them with a time-dependent response to mechanical forces. In cross-linked actin networks, this behaviour is typically tuned by the binding affinity of the cross-link. We propose that the debonding of a cross-link between filaments can be modelled using a stochastic approach, in which the activation energy for a bond is modified by a term to account for mechanical strain energy. By use of a finite element model, we perform numerical analyses in which we first compare the model behaviour to experimental results. The computed and experimental results are in good agreement for short time scales, but over longer time scales the stress is overestimated. However, it does provide a possible explanation for experimentally observed strain-rate dependence as well as strain-softening at longer time scales.
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