title: Growth, ageing and scaling laws of coronary arterial trees.
abstract: Despite the well-known design principles of vascular systems, it is unclear whether the vascular arterial tree obeys some scaling constraints during normal growth and ageing in a given species. Based on the micro-computed tomography measurements of coronary arterial trees in mice at different ages (one week to more than eight months), we show a constant exponent of 3/4, but age-dependent scaling coefficients in a length-volume scaling law (Lc=K(length-volume) · Vc³/⁴; Lc is the crown length, Vc is the crown volume, K(length-volume) is the age-dependent scaling coefficient) during normal growth and ageing. The constant 3/4 exponent represents the self-similar fractal-like branching pattern (i.e. basic mechanism to regulate the development of vascular trees within a species), whereas the age-dependent scaling coefficients characterize the structural growth or resorption of vascular trees during normal growth or ageing, respectively. This study enhances the understanding of age-associated changes in vascular structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wenzeng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.affiliation: California Medical Innovations Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
authors.forename: Ghassan S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Kassab
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China tanwch@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wenchang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China yhuo@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D051379:Mice; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular
keywords: arterial tree; growth and ageing; scaling law