Characterization of the active response of a guinea pig carotid artery

This work presents a characterization of the active response of the carotid artery of guinea pig fetuses through a methodology that encompasses experiments, modeling and numerical simulation. To this end, the isometric contraction test is carried out in ring samples subjected to different levels of KCl concentrations and pre-stretching. Then, a coupled mechanochemical model, aimed at describing the smooth cell behavior and its influence on the passive and active mechanical response of the vascular tissue, is calibrated from the experimental measurements. Due to the complex stress and strain fields developed in the artery, a finite element numerical simulation of the test is performed to fit the model parameters, where those related to the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation activity along with the load-bearing capacity of the myosin cross-bridges are found to be the most predominant when sensitizing the active response. The main strengths of the model are associated with the prediction of the stationary state of the active mechanical response of the tissue through a realistic description of the mechanochemical process carried out at its cellular level.

Automated summary

This study presents a characterization of the active response of the carotid artery of guinea pig fetuses using experiments, modeling, and numerical simulation. The experimental measurements are used to calibrate a coupled mechanochemical model, which accurately describes the influence of smooth cell behavior on the passive and active mechanical response of the vascular tissue. The model is validated and optimized by performing finite element numerical simulations. The main strengths of the model lie in its ability to predict the stationary state of the tissue's active mechanical response through a realistic representation of the mechanochemical process at the cellular level.