A computational framework for modeling cell–matrix interactions in soft biological tissues

Eichinger, Jonas F.; Grill, Maximilian J.; Kermani, Iman Davoodi; Aydin, Roland C.; Wall, Wolfgang A.; Humphrey, Jay D.; Cyron, Christian J.

doi:10.1007/s10237-021-01480-2

Cited by 34 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 141 publications

(330 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“… 2019 ; Eichinger et al. 2021 ). Continuum mechanical models, on the other hand, have successfully been used for decades, and among the various theories proposed, here we consider one variant of the affine structural model established in the 1970s (Lanir 1979 , 1983 ), that has shown great versatility and whose offshoots have become a popular approach in soft tissue biomechanics (e.g.…”

Section: Continuum and Discrete Network Models Of Fibrous Tissuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Risky interpretations across the length scales: continuum vs. discrete models for soft tissue mechanobiology

Stracuzzi

Britt

Mazza

et al. 2022

Biomech Model Mechanobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Modelling and simulation in mechanobiology play an increasingly important role to unravel the complex mechanisms that allow resident cells to sense and respond to mechanical cues. Many of the in vivo mechanical loads occur on the tissue length scale, thus raising the essential question how the resulting macroscopic strains and stresses are transferred across the scales down to the cellular and subcellular levels. Since cells anchor to the collagen fibres within the extracellular matrix, the reliable representation of fibre deformation is a prerequisite for models that aim at linking tissue biomechanics and cell mechanobiology. In this paper, we consider the two-scale mechanical response of an affine structural model as an example of a continuum mechanical approach and compare it with the results of a discrete fibre network model. In particular, we shed light on the crucially different mechanical properties of the ‘fibres’ in these two approaches. While assessing the capability of the affine structural approach to capture the fibre kinematics in real tissues is beyond the scope of our study, our results clearly show that neither the macroscopic tissue response nor the microscopic fibre orientation statistics can clarify the question of affinity.

show abstract

Section: Continuum and Discrete Network Models Of Fibrous Tissuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2018 ), mechanical homeostasis (Eichinger et al. 2021 ), or to understand and guide the development of effective tissue equivalents, scaffolds and grafts in tissue engineering (Stella et al. 2008 ; Zündel et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risky interpretations across the length scales: continuum vs. discrete models for soft tissue mechanobiology

Stracuzzi

Britt

Mazza

et al. 2022

Biomech Model Mechanobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To simulate of soft tissue mechanics on the level of individual cells and fibers, we used the computational framework presented in [45] (Fig. 3).…”

Section: Three-dimensional Discrete Fiber and Cell Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This naturally leads to a residual offset in the tissue tension after perturbations on time scales too short for remodeling or de novo deposition and degradation of fibers. To corroborate this understanding of cellular mechanoregulation, we performed computer simulations with a discrete fiber-network model introduced in [45]. We studied an RVE with a covalently cross-linked fiber matrix (Fig.…”

Section: Discrete Fiber Network Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What do cells regulate in soft tissues on short time scales?

Eichinger,

Paukner,

Aydin

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cells within living soft biological tissues seem to promote the maintenance of a mechanical state within a defined range near a so-called set-point. This mechanobiological process is often referred to as mechanical homeostasis. During this process, cells intimately interact with the fibers of the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). It remains poorly understood, however, what individual cells actually regulate during these interactions, and how these micromechanical regulations are translated to tissue level to lead to what we macroscopically call mechanical homeostasis. Herein, we examine this question by a combination of experiments, theoretical analysis and computational modeling. We demonstrate that on short time scales (hours) -during which deposition and degradation of ECM fibers can largely be neglected -cells appear to regulate neither the stress / strain in the ECM nor their own shape, but rather only the contractile forces that they exert on the surrounding ECM.

show abstract

A fully coupled regularized mortar‐type finite element approach for embedding one‐dimensional fibers into three‐dimensional fluid flow

Hagmeyer,

Mayr,

Popp

2024

Numerical Meth Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryThe present article proposes a partitioned Dirichlet‐Neumann algorithm, that allows to address unique challenges arising from a novel mixed‐dimensional coupling of very slender fibers embedded in fluid flow using a regularized mortar‐type finite element discretization. The fibers are modeled via one‐dimensional (1D) partial differential equations based on geometrically exact nonlinear beam theory, while the flow is described by the three‐dimensional (3D) incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations. The arising truly mixed‐dimensional 1D‐3D coupling scheme constitutes a novel approximate model and numerical strategy, that naturally necessitates specifically tailored solution schemes to ensure an accurate and efficient computational treatment. In particular, we present a strongly coupled partitioned solution algorithm based on a Quasi‐Newton method for applications involving fibers with high slenderness ratios that usually present a challenge with regard to the well‐known added mass effect. The influence of all employed algorithmic and numerical parameters, namely the applied acceleration technique, the employed constraint regularization parameter as well as shape functions, on efficiency and results of the solution procedure is studied through appropriate examples. Finally, the convergence of the two‐way coupled mixed‐dimensional problem solution under uniform mesh refinement is demonstrated, a comparison to a 3D reference solution is performed, and the method's capabilities in capturing flow phenomena at large geometric scale separation is illustrated by the example of a submersed vegetation canopy.

show abstract

A computational framework for modeling cell–matrix interactions in soft biological tissues

Cited by 34 publications

References 141 publications

Risky interpretations across the length scales: continuum vs. discrete models for soft tissue mechanobiology

Risky interpretations across the length scales: continuum vs. discrete models for soft tissue mechanobiology

What do cells regulate in soft tissues on short time scales?

A fully coupled regularized mortar‐type finite element approach for embedding one‐dimensional fibers into three‐dimensional fluid flow

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About