title: The effect of a thermal renal denervation cycle on the mechanical properties of the arterial wall.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effect that a thermal renal denervation cycle has on the mechanical properties of the arterial wall. Porcine arterial tissue specimens were tested in three groups: native tissue, decellularized tissue, decellularized with collagen digestion (e.g. elastin only). One arterial specimen was used as an unheated control specimen while another paired specimen was subjected to a thermal cycle of 70°C for 120s (n=10). The specimens were subjected to tensile loading and a shrinkage analysis. We observed two key results: The mechanical properties associated with the elastin extracellular matrix (ECM) were not affected by the thermal cycle. The effect of the thermal cycle on the collagen (ECM) was significant, in both the native and decellularized groups the thermal cycle caused a statistically significant decrease in stiffness, and failure strength, moreover the native tissue demonstrated a 27% reduction in lumen area post exposure to the thermal cycle. We have demonstrated that a renal denervation thermal cycle can significantly affect the mechanical properties of an arterial wall, and these changes in stiffness and failure strength were associated with alterations to the collagen rather than the elastin extracellular matrix component.
authors.affiliation: Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152-160 Pearse Street, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: ahopkin@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152-160 Pearse Street, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: sheridaw@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Sheridan
authors.affiliation: Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152-160 Pearse Street, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Regenerative Medicine Institute, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: Faisal.Sharif@nuigalway.ie.
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sharif
authors.affiliation: Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152-160 Pearse Street, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: bruce.murphy@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: Bruce P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D003094:Collagen; D003714:Denervation; D004549:Elastin; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007668:Kidney / Q000294:innervation / Q000601:surgery*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D004549:Elastin
keywords: Arterial wall; Hypertension; Mechanical properties; Renal artery; Renal denervation