Regional quantification of glycosaminoglycans and their association with collagen fibril ultrastructure in the sclera following enzymatic degradation

IF 3.5 2区医学 Q2 ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials Pub Date : 2025-08-19 DOI:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2025.107169

Ahmed Kazaili , Zhuola , Noor Ali Sadek , Hayder Abdul-Amir Maki Al-Hindy , Brendan Geraghty , Yalda Ashraf Kharaz , Eithne Comerford , Edwin Yates , Lu-Ning Liu , Riaz Akhtar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Sclera biomechanics play an important role in clear vision. Understanding the biomechanical, composition and ultrastructural topography of the sclera may help provide better insight into eye health. Some prior research has investigated the ultrastructural and biomechanical properties of the sclera in relation to regional variations. However, the complex association between regional variations in collagen fibril morphology and elasticity with proteoglycan types and quantities has not been investigated. This study aimed to explore regional variations in scleral collagen fibril topography and proteoglycan quantities and to investigate their role in the mechanical properties of the sclera. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), collagen autofluorescence, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) quantification, and Coomassie blue staining techniques were used to assess alterations of the porcine sclera following treatment with amylase (Amy) and chondroitinase ABC (ChABC). Collagen fibril diameters were found to vary among the regions of the scleral stroma, with the largest diameters (268 ± 23 nm) in the anterior region and smallest diameters (148 ± 14 nm) in the posterior region. Collagen fibril stiffness and diameters were reduced following incubation with these enzymes. GAGs were depleted from the enzymatically treated tissues with the greater depletion in the posterior region. GAG depletion was inversely correlated (Pearson's r = −0.75 and −0.85 for the amylase and ChABC treated groups) with collagen fibril diameter and elastic modulus. In summary, we show the direct link between GAGs and collagen fibril properties at the nano-scale from the anterior to the posterior region of the porcine sclera.

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酶降解后巩膜中糖胺聚糖的区域定量及其与胶原纤维超微结构的关系

巩膜生物力学在清晰视力中起着重要作用。了解巩膜的生物力学、组成和超微结构地形可能有助于更好地了解眼睛健康。一些先前的研究已经研究了巩膜的超微结构和生物力学特性与区域差异的关系。然而，胶原纤维形态和弹性的区域变化与蛋白聚糖类型和数量之间的复杂关系尚未得到研究。本研究旨在探讨巩膜胶原原纤维形貌和蛋白多糖数量的区域差异，并研究它们在巩膜力学性能中的作用。采用原子力显微镜（AFM）、胶原自身荧光、糖胺聚糖（GAGs）定量和考马斯蓝染色技术评估了淀粉酶（Amy）和软骨素酶ABC （ChABC）处理后猪巩膜的变化。胶原纤维的直径在不同的巩膜间质区域不同，最大的直径（268±23 nm）在前区，最小的直径（148±14 nm）在后区。用这些酶孵育后，胶原纤维硬度和直径降低。经酶处理的组织中，GAGs减少，后区减少更大。GAG缺失与胶原原纤维直径和弹性模量呈负相关（淀粉酶和ChABC处理组的Pearson’s r分别为- 0.75和- 0.85）。总之，我们在猪巩膜前部到后部的纳米尺度上展示了gag和胶原纤维特性之间的直接联系。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 工程技术-材料科学：生物材料

CiteScore

7.20

自引率

7.70%

发文量

505

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials is concerned with the mechanical deformation, damage and failure under applied forces, of biological material (at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels) and of biomaterials, i.e. those materials which are designed to mimic or replace biological materials. The primary focus of the journal is the synthesis of materials science, biology, and medical and dental science. Reports of fundamental scientific investigations are welcome, as are articles concerned with the practical application of materials in medical devices. Both experimental and theoretical work is of interest; theoretical papers will normally include comparison of predictions with experimental data, though we recognize that this may not always be appropriate. The journal also publishes technical notes concerned with emerging experimental or theoretical techniques, letters to the editor and, by invitation, review articles and papers describing existing techniques for the benefit of an interdisciplinary readership.