2014 年 9 巻 1 号 p. JBSE0002
In this study, for a better understanding of arterial functions, we examine the effects of active stresses, which are generated by contractile units included in smooth muscle cells, on the stress distribution in the arterial wall. Thus far, it is widely recognized that active stress generation is regulated by mechanical and chemical operations, i.e., both smooth muscle stretch and intracellular calcium ion concentration. Based on this fact, we develop an arterial wall model with active stresses that couples the mechanical and chemical ones suitable for the finite element method. By using this coupled model within the framework of finite element analysis, we calculate the stress distribution including active stresses at a prescribed intracellular calcium ion concentration. The results show that as the intracellular calcium ion concentration increases, the effect of active stress appears continuously, i.e., stress distribution could be considered as a continuous function of the intracellular calcium ion concentration. To obtain stress distributions at the prescribed intracellular calcium ion concentration, which is assumed to be reached as a result of active calcium ion transport under various in vivo conditions, are meaningful as a preliminary step in developing advanced models considering the active calcium ion transport systems.
