Role of Arterial Wall Mechanics in Cardiovascular Regulation

Abstract

Cardiovascular tissue comprises of large and small arteries, heart chambers, and valves, playing 
several pivotal roles in cardiac health and diseases. The ability to work under a constant cyclic 
mechanical environment throughout life is a fundamental property of cardiac and vascular 
tissues. From an engineering perspective, an up-to-date knowledge of the mechanical behavior 
and material properties of vascular tissues is essential to our understanding of cardiovascular 
disease pathophysiology and the development of therapeutic strategies. Therefore, this review 
focuses on the current state of knowledge on the passive and active biomechanical properties 
of blood vessels, and the key experimental and computational techniques used to quantify small 
artery vasoactive responses in cardiovascular control. We started with a brief, general 
discussion of the structure and composition of the small atrial wall, the passive and active 
properties of vascular tissues, smooth muscle mechanics, and the difference between small and 
large artery biomechanics. Then the measurement techniques used to study biomechanics of 
small arteries and mathematical modeling approaches were discussed. We concluded with the 
clinical implications of altered vessel biomechanics in aging, hypertension and atherosclerosis, 
and the future directions.