Compaction and Anisotropy Induced by Remodeling of the Collagen Network’s State of Tension-Compression Transition

Extracellular matrix remodeling is ubiquitous in connective, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular tissues. The collagen network can thereby not only remodel its orientation [1] but also its stress-free configuration. This stress-free configuration can be described by the so-called transition stretch — the stretch above which a fiber begins to bear load. Remodeling of collagen crimp has been shown to be involved in long bone growth [2], contracture, scar pathologies, collagen gel compaction and can be cell mediated or occur via cell-independent mechanisms [3, 4, 5].