Freezing of biological tissue is emerging in various biomedical applications. The success of these applications requires precise control of the tissue functionality, which is closely associated with the microstructure of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study, the spatiotemporal effects of freezing on the ECM were experimentally and theoretically investigated by approximating biological tissue as a poroelastic material saturated with interstitial fluid. The experiments with type I collagen gel showed that its matrix underwent two distinct levels of structural changes due to freezing: enlarged pore structure of the matrix and increased collagen fibril diameters. The extent of these changes was augmented as the freezing temperature was lowered. The theoretical model suggested that the interstitial fluid might be transported toward the unfrozen region from the phase change interface due to the volumetric expansion associated with the water-ice phase change, and the transported fluid could interact with the matrix and enlarge its pore structure. The model also illustrated the effects of matrix structural properties on this interaction including initial porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and elastic modulus. These results imply that an identical macroscopic freezing protocol may result in different microstructural alterations of poroelastic materials depending on the structural properties of the matrix. This may be relevant to understanding the tissue-type dependent outcomes of cryomedicine applications and be useful in designing cryomedicine applications for a wide variety of tissues.
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February 2009
Research Papers
Freezing-Induced Fluid-Matrix Interaction in Poroelastic Material
Bumsoo Han,
Bumsoo Han
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
e-mail: bhan@uta.edu
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019
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Jeffrey D. Miller,
Jeffrey D. Miller
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019
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Jun K. Jung
Jun K. Jung
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019
Search for other works by this author on:
Bumsoo Han
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019e-mail: bhan@uta.edu
Jeffrey D. Miller
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019
Jun K. Jung
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
University of Texas at Arlington
, Arlington, TX 76019J Biomech Eng. Feb 2009, 131(2): 021002 (8 pages)
Published Online: December 9, 2008
Article history
Received:
October 22, 2007
Revised:
August 6, 2008
Published:
December 9, 2008
Citation
Han, B., Miller, J. D., and Jung, J. K. (December 9, 2008). "Freezing-Induced Fluid-Matrix Interaction in Poroelastic Material." ASME. J Biomech Eng. February 2009; 131(2): 021002. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3005170
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