A Correlative Imaging Approach for Extracellular Matrix Characterization in Mice

The pulmonary valve is responsible for providing unidirectional flow or deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs in mammals. In a normal cardiac cycle, the pulmonary valve opens at high ventricular pressures (systole) and closes during muscle relaxation (diastole). As a pure biomechanical structure, its mechanical behavior can completely be explained by extracellular matrix (ECM) characterization. It has been hypothesized that ECM proteins undergo reorganization in order to accommodate the large amounts of strain [1]. One such ECM protein is collagen, which is responsible for the mechanical strength of the valve [2]. Valvular biomechanics has been extensively studied in many animal models, but very little work has been done regarding the murine model. The mouse model is advantageous because of the ability to produce large identical populations, but the knowledge gap is due to the surgical and instrumental capabilities necessary to adequately characterize the extracellular matrix.