Dehghani H, Holzapfel GA, Mittelbronn M, Zilian A. Cell adhesion affects the properties of interstitial fluid flow: A study using multiscale poroelastic composite modeling.
J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2024;
153:106486. [PMID:
38428205 DOI:
10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106486]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we conduct a multiscale, multiphysics modeling of the brain gray matter as a poroelastic composite. We develop a customized representative volume element based on cytoarchitectural features that encompass important microscopic components of the tissue, namely the extracellular space, the capillaries, the pericapillary space, the interstitial fluid, cell-cell and cell-capillary junctions, and neuronal and glial cell bodies. Using asymptotic homogenization and direct numerical simulation, the effective properties at the tissue level are identified based on microscopic properties. To analyze the influence of various microscopic elements on the effective/macroscopic properties and tissue response, we perform sensitivity analyses on cell junction (cluster) stiffness, cell junction diameter (dimensions), and pericapillary space width. The results of this study suggest that changes in cell adhesion can greatly affect both mechanical and hydraulic (interstitial fluid flow and porosity) features of brain tissue, consistent with the effects of neurodegenerative diseases.
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