The role of extracellular matrix in lateral transmission of force in skeletal muscle

This dissertation describes the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the lateral transmission of force. It consists of an experimental studies of the ECM and mathematical modeling of lateral transmission of force.; The effect of aging on the structural and mechanical properties of the epimysium of muscle of the rats were examined. No statistically significant differences were found in the ultrastructure, or the thickness of the epimysium. However, from the tensile stress-strain tests, it was found that the epimysium of muscles from old rats was much stiffer than that of the young rats. Based on these observations. It was concluded that the differences in the mechanical properties of the epimysium of the muscles from the old compared with young rats were not associated with the arrangement and size of collagen fibers in the epimysium. Consequently, other methods will be required to identify the structural bases of the mechanical differences.; The stress-strain relationships for the epimysiums of the skeletal muscles from both the young and old rats were found to be nonlinear. A mathematical model was developed that showed that the nonlinear behavior results from the waviness and the reorientation of the collagen fibers in the epimysium.; The ECM plays an important role in lateral transmission of force in skeletal muscle by providing shear stress between the muscle fibers or fascicles. A mathematical model was developed to investigate the mechanisms of lateral transmission. It was a modification of the shear lag theory for chopped fiber composite materials used in engineering applications. The modified shear lag theory includes an activation strain to account for muscle contraction and a myofibrils-endomysium interfaces that accounts for the molecular lateral linkages. The model was used to simulate the classic experiments of Street. It was demonstrated that lateral transmission of force in the skeletal muscle is affected by the mechanical and structural properties of the muscle fibers and its surrounding extracellular matrix.