Effects of Elastin Content on Material
Properties of Arteries
Name: Piyali
Sircar
Class: BE 210
The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the effects of eliminating elastin on the material properties of arteries, normally high in elastin content (30-41% elastin by weight in canines).5 In order to denature elastin, tissues will be submerged in a 6.5 ug/mL solution of elastase for 40 minutes. It is hypothesized that the ultimate stress and fracture energy of tissues lacking elastin will be lower than those corresponding to normal tissue. This is because the greater the elasticity, the more the material will stretch prior to rupture and the greater the requisite energy to achieve rupture. It is important to note that while elastin is digested, collagen, a triple helix molecule responsible for tensile strength, will remain unaffected by elastase. Another reason behind this hypothesis is the strong correlation between low elastin content and human disorders suggesting poorer material properties. Other goals of this experiment include practicing dissection technique and the biological focus of learning fetal pig anatomy.