Biomechanical and Microstructural Analysis of Wildtype (C57BL6) Mouse Aorta

It is generally accepted that the formation of an aneurysm in the infrarenal aorta is a complex and multi-factorial disease, however little is known about how biomechanical factors may play a role in the progression of aneurysmal disease. Although it is known that human aneurysmal tissue is remodeled in the disease process [1] and that such reorganization leads to altered function [2], the underlying mechanisms by which such changes remains an important unanswered question in the literature. The purpose of this study is to develop a means for determining the biomechanical alterations that occur within the aorta to better understand aneurysmal disease progression.