Versatility of a Collagen Adaptation Model That Includes Strain-Dependent Degeneration and Cell Traction

The orientation of collagen fibers is essential for tissue mechanical functioning. Tissues are able to adapt this network to changes in the mechanical environment. Two mechanisms for this adaptation that have been proposed are cell-orientation dependent cell-traction (eg (6)), and strain-protected enzymatic collagen degradation (eg (11)). The premise is that these two mechanisms together are able to predict a transient and equilibrium responses of tissue adaptation to mechanical constraints. To evaluate this, they are captured in a numerical model and predictions are corroborated against distinct experimental observations. This abstract overviews the versatility of the model, using already presented (5) and new data.