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Progressive changes of elastic moduli of arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque components during plaque development in human coronary arteries

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Abstract

Stiffness of the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque components is a determinant of the stress field within plaques, which has been suggested to be an indicator of plaque vulnerability. The diversity and inhomogeneous structure of atherosclerotic lesions complicate the characterization of plaque components. In the present study, stiffness of the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque components in human coronary arteries was examined in early and developed atherosclerotic lesions. The force-spectroscopy mode of the atomic force microscope and histological examination were used for determination of elastic moduli at specified locations within samples. Fibrous cap (E = 14.1 ± 3.8 kPa) showed lower stiffness than the fibrous tissue beneath the lipid pool (E = 17.6 ± 3.2 kPa). Calcification zones (E = 96.1 ± 18.8 kPa) and lipid pools (E = 2.7 ± 1.8 kPa) were the stiffest and softest components of atherosclerotic lesions, respectively. The increase of media stiffness (%44.8) and reduction of the elastic modulus of the internal elastic lamina (%28.9) was observed in coronary arteries. Moreover, significant differences were observed between the stiffness of medial layer in diseased parts and free-plaque segments in incomplete plaques of coronary arteries. Our results can be used for better understanding of remodeling mechanisms of the arterial wall with plaque development.

Stiffness alteration of the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque components with plaque development in coronary arteries.

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank Dr. Davood Kazemi-Saleh and Dr. Zahra Pourjafar at Baghiatallah Hospital for providing tissue specimens. Authors also thank Dr. Amirnader Emami Razavi at Tehran University of Medical Sciences for assistance in the preparation of samples for AFM test and determination of different components of atherosclerotic plaques and arterial wall layers in specimens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Street, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Rezvani-Sharif, Mohammad Tafazzoli-Shadpour & Alberto Avolio

  2. Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Alireza Rezvani-Sharif

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  1. Alireza Rezvani-Sharif
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Correspondence to Mohammad Tafazzoli-Shadpour.

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Rezvani-Sharif, A., Tafazzoli-Shadpour, M. & Avolio, A. Progressive changes of elastic moduli of arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque components during plaque development in human coronary arteries. Med Biol Eng Comput 57, 731–740 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-018-1910-4

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