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Azimi-Boulali J, Mahler GJ, Murray BT, Huang P. Multiscale computational modeling of aortic valve calcification. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2024; 23:581-599. [PMID: 38093148 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01793-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a common cardiovascular disease that affects millions of people worldwide. The disease is characterized by the formation of calcium nodules on the aortic valve leaflets, which can lead to stenosis and heart failure if left untreated. The pathogenesis of CAVD is still not well understood, but involves several signaling pathways, including the transforming growth factor beta (TGF β ) pathway. In this study, we developed a multiscale computational model for TGF β -stimulated CAVD. The model framework comprises cellular behavior dynamics, subcellular signaling pathways, and tissue-level diffusion fields of pertinent chemical species, where information is shared among different scales. Processes such as endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT), fibrosis, and calcification are incorporated. The results indicate that the majority of myofibroblasts and osteoblast-like cells ultimately die due to lack of nutrients as they become trapped in areas with higher levels of fibrosis or calcification, and they subsequently act as sources for calcium nodules, which contribute to a polydispersed nodule size distribution. Additionally, fibrosis and calcification processes occur more frequently in regions closer to the endothelial layer where the cell activity is higher. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms of CAVD and TGF β signaling and could aid in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for CAVD and other related diseases such as cancer. More broadly, this type of modeling framework can pave the way for unraveling the complexity of biological systems by incorporating several signaling pathways in subcellular models to simulate tissue remodeling in diseases involving cellular mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javid Azimi-Boulali
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Gretchen J Mahler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Bruce T Murray
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Peter Huang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA.
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Sadrabadi MS, Eskandari M, Feigenbaum HP, Arzani A. Local and global growth and remodeling in calcific aortic valve disease and aging. J Biomech 2021; 128:110773. [PMID: 34628201 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Aging and calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) are the main factors leading to aortic stenosis. Both processes are accompanied by growth and remodeling pathways that play a crucial role in aortic valve pathophysiology. Herein, a computational growth and remodeling (G&R) framework was developed to investigate the effects of aging and calcification on aortic valve dynamics. Particularly, an algorithm was developed to couple the global growth and stiffening of the aortic valve due to aging and the local growth and stiffening due to calcification with the aortic valve transient dynamics. The aortic valve dynamics during baseline were validated with available data in the literature. Subsequently, the changes in aortic valve dynamic patterns during aging and CAVD progression were studied. The results revealed the patterns in geometric orifice area reduction and an increase in the valve stress during local and global growth and remodeling of the aortic valve. The proposed algorithm provides a framework to couple mechanobiology models of disease growth with tissue-scale transient structural mechanics models to study the biomechanical changes during cardiovascular disease growth and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mona Eskandari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; BREATHE Center at the School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Heidi P Feigenbaum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Amirhossein Arzani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
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Jiang Y, Chen J, Wei F, Wang Y, Chen S, Li G, Dong N. Micromechanical force promotes aortic valvular calcification. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2021; 164:e313-e329. [PMID: 34507817 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Calcified aortic valvular disease is known as an inflammation-related process related to force. The purpose of this study was to determine whether micromechanical force could induce valve calcification of porcine valvular interstitial cells and to examine the role of integrin αvβ3 in valvular calcification by using a novel method: magnetic twisting cytometry. METHODS Porcine valvular interstitial cells were cultured in vitro, and micromechanical force was applied to porcine valvular interstitial cells using magnetic twisting cytometry. Changes in calcification-related factors osteopontin and RUNX2 were detected. By using the calcification medium, the optimal magnetic twisting cytometry parameters for inducing valvular interstitial cell calcification were determined, and a magnetic twisting cytometry calcification promotion model was established. The role of αvβ3 in calcification was studied by using αvβ3 antagonists to block the function of αvβ3. RESULTS Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays showed that the expression of osteopontin was enhanced 30 minutes after 25G-1Hz 5 minutes of stimulation. Western blotting assays showed that the expression of osteopontin and RUNX2 was upregulated 24 hours after 25G-1Hz 5 minutes of stimulation. The optimal magnetic twisting cytometry parameter for inducing porcine valvular interstitial cell calcification was 25G-2Hz for 10 minutes. The expression of osteopontin and RUNX2 decreased significantly after the addition of αvβ3 antagonist. Clinically, patients with bicuspid aortic valves had high expression of RUNX2 and β3 in the aortic valve, and β3 significantly correlated with RUNX2. CONCLUSIONS By using magnetic twisting cytometry, we established a porcine valvular interstitial cell calcification model by micromechanical force stimulation and obtained the optimal parameters. Integrin αvβ3 plays a key role in the aortic valve calcification process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yefan Jiang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinjie Chen
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Fuxiang Wei
- Laboratory for Cellular Biomechanics and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Si Chen
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Geng Li
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
| | - Nianguo Dong
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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Arzani A, Dawson STM. Data-driven cardiovascular flow modelling: examples and opportunities. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20200802. [PMID: 33561376 PMCID: PMC8086862 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
High-fidelity blood flow modelling is crucial for enhancing our understanding of cardiovascular disease. Despite significant advances in computational and experimental characterization of blood flow, the knowledge that we can acquire from such investigations remains limited by the presence of uncertainty in parameters, low resolution, and measurement noise. Additionally, extracting useful information from these datasets is challenging. Data-driven modelling techniques have the potential to overcome these challenges and transform cardiovascular flow modelling. Here, we review several data-driven modelling techniques, highlight the common ideas and principles that emerge across numerous such techniques, and provide illustrative examples of how they could be used in the context of cardiovascular fluid mechanics. In particular, we discuss principal component analysis (PCA), robust PCA, compressed sensing, the Kalman filter for data assimilation, low-rank data recovery, and several additional methods for reduced-order modelling of cardiovascular flows, including the dynamic mode decomposition and the sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics. All techniques are presented in the context of cardiovascular flows with simple examples. These data-driven modelling techniques have the potential to transform computational and experimental cardiovascular research, and we discuss challenges and opportunities in applying these techniques in the field, looking ultimately towards data-driven patient-specific blood flow modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Arzani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Scott T. M. Dawson
- Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
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Howsmon DP, Sacks MS. On Valve Interstitial Cell Signaling: The Link Between Multiscale Mechanics and Mechanobiology. Cardiovasc Eng Technol 2021; 12:15-27. [PMID: 33527256 PMCID: PMC11046423 DOI: 10.1007/s13239-020-00509-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Heart valves function in one of the most mechanically demanding environments in the body to ensure unidirectional blood flow. The resident valve interstitial cells respond to this mechanical environment and maintain the structure and integrity of the heart valve tissues to preserve homeostasis. While the mechanics of organ-tissue-cell heart valve function has progressed, the intracellular signaling network downstream of mechanical stimuli has not been fully elucidated. This has hindered efforts to both understand heart valve mechanobiology and rationally identify drug targets for treating valve disease. In the present work, we review the current literature on VIC mechanobiology and then propose mechanistic mathematical modeling of the mechanically-stimulated VIC signaling response to comprehend the coupling between VIC mechanobiology and valve mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Howsmon
- James T. Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation, The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Michael S Sacks
- James T. Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation, The Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Soltany Sadrabadi M, Hedayat M, Borazjani I, Arzani A. Fluid-structure coupled biotransport processes in aortic valve disease. J Biomech 2021; 117:110239. [PMID: 33515904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Biological transport processes near the aortic valve play a crucial role in calcific aortic valve disease initiation and bioprosthetic aortic valve thrombosis. Hemodynamics coupled with the dynamics of the leaflets regulate these transport patterns. Herein, two-way coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations of a 2D bicuspid aortic valve and a 3D mechanical heart valve were performed and coupled with various convective mass transport models that represent some of the transport processes in calcification and thrombosis. Namely, five different continuum transport models were developed to study biochemicals that originate from the blood and the leaflets, as well as residence-time and flow stagnation. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and platelet activation were studied for their role in calcification and thrombosis, respectively. Coherent structures were identified using vorticity and Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) for the 2D and 3D models, respectively. A very close connection between vortex structures and biochemical concentration patterns was shown where different vortices controlled the concentration patterns depending on the transport mechanism. Additionally, the relationship between leaflet concentration and wall shear stress was revealed. Our work shows that blood flow physics and coherent structures regulate the flow-mediated biological processes that are involved in aortic valve calcification and thrombosis, and therefore could be used in the design process to optimize heart valve replacement durability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammadali Hedayat
- J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Iman Borazjani
- J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Amirhossein Arzani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
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Arzani A. Coronary artery plaque growth: A two-way coupled shear stress-driven model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2020; 36:e3293. [PMID: 31820589 DOI: 10.1002/cnm.3293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis in coronary arteries can lead to plaque growth, stenosis formation, and blockage of the blood flow supplying the heart tissue. Several studies have shown that hemodynamics play an important role in the growth of coronary artery plaques. Specifically, low wall shear stress (WSS) appears to be the leading hemodynamic parameter promoting atherosclerotic plaque growth, which in turn influences the blood flow and WSS distribution. Therefore, a two-way coupled interaction exists between WSS and atherosclerosis growth. In this work, a computational framework was developed to study the coupling between WSS and plaque growth in coronary arteries. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to quantify WSS distribution. Surface mesh nodes were moved in the inward normal direction according to a growth model based on WSS. After each growth stage, the geometry was updated and the CFD simulation repeated to find updated WSS values for the next growth stage. One hundred twenty growth stages were simulated in an idealized tube and an image-based left anterior descending artery. An automated framework was developed using open-source software to couple CFD simulations with growth. Changes in plaque morphology and hemodynamic patterns during different growth stages are presented. The results show larger plaque growth towards the downstream segment of the plaque, agreeing with the reported clinical observations. The developed framework could be used to establish hemodynamic-driven growth models and study the interaction between these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Arzani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
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Genin GM, Shenoy VB, Peng G, Buehler MJ. Integrated Multiscale Biomaterials Experiment and Modeling. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2017; 3:2628-2632. [PMID: 31157296 PMCID: PMC6544164 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The integration of modeling and experimentation is an integral component of all engineering design. Developing the technologies to achieve this represents a critical challenge in biomaterials because of the hierarchical structures that comprise them and the spectra of timescales upon which they operate. Progress in integrating modeling and experiment in biomaterials represents progress towards harnessing them for engineering application. We present here a summary of the state of the art, and outlooks for the field as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy M Genin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, 1 Brookings Drive, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130 United States
- NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, 1 Brookings Drive, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130 United States
| | - Vivek B Shenoy
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6391 United States
- NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6391 United States
| | - Grace Peng
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 202, Bethesda, MD 20892-5469 United States
| | - Markus J Buehler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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