Numerous eye diseases are linked to biomechanical dysfunction of the retina. However, the
underlying forces are almost impossible to quantify experimentally. Here, we show how biomechanical
properties of adult neuronal tissues such as porcine retinae can be investigated under tension in a
home-built tissue stretcher composed of nanostructured TiO2 scaffolds coupled to a self-designed force
sensor. The employed TiO2 nanotube scaffolds allow for organotypic long-term preservation of adult
tissues ex vivo and support strong tissue adhesion without the application of glues, a prerequisite for
tissue investigations under tension. In combination with finite element calculations we found that the
deformation behavior is highly dependent on the displacement rate which results in Young’s moduli
of (760–1270) Pa. Image analysis revealed that the elastic regime is characterized by a reversible shear
deformation of retinal layers. For larger deformations, tissue destruction and sliding of retinal layers
occurred with an equilibration between slip and stick at the interface of ruptured layers, resulting in
a constant force during stretching. Since our study demonstrates how porcine eyes collected from
slaughterhouses can be employed for ex vivo experiments, our study also offers new perspectives to
investigate tissue biomechanics without excessive animal experiments.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:89412 |
| Date | 30 January 2024 |
| Creators | Juncheed, Kantida, Kohlstrunk, Bernd, Friebe, Sabrina, Dallacasagrande, Valentina, Maurer, Patric, Reichenbach, Andreas, Mayr, Stefan G., Zink, Mareike |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 3889 |
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