Active Axial Stress in Mouse Aorta

Arteries exhibit a complex mechanical behavior due to their complex structure and composition. When smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are stimulated to contract, an artery constricts and develops the so called active stress in the arterial wall. Assuming that the SMCs are oriented in the circumferential direction most of studies consider solely development of the circumferential active stress [1]. However, histological findings show existence of SMCs oriented in both the circumferential and axial direction; these vessels manifest biaxial contractile response [2, 3]. In this study we also observed biaxial contractile response and processed the experimental data to incorporate an active axial stress in the constitutive formulation of the arterial tissue.