Strong correlation between early stage atherosclerosis and electromechanical coupling of aorta

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of global mortality, necessitating early diagnostic methods.
• Current imaging techniques lack the spatial resolution to detect early-stage atherosclerosis.
• Understanding the biomechanical changes in the aorta during atherosclerosis is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) for early atherosclerosis detection.
• To correlate electromechanical properties of the aortic wall with atherosclerosis progression.
• To evaluate PFM's capability in providing high-resolution, quantitative biomechanical data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) to measure electromechanical coupling in aortic walls.
• Assessed the piezoelectric response and coercive electric field of aortic tissue.
• Correlated PFM measurements with the advancement of atherosclerosis.
• Compared electromechanical properties with aortic stiffness.

Main Results:

• Piezoelectric response of the aortic wall significantly increases with atherosclerosis progression.
• Aortic stiffness shows a less pronounced correlation with atherosclerosis compared to piezoelectric response.
• A strong correlation was observed between the coercive electric field and atherosclerosis development.
• PFM demonstrated superior spatial resolution for detecting early atherosclerotic changes.

Conclusions:

• Measuring the electromechanical coupling of the aortic wall via PFM enables early-stage atherosclerosis detection.
• PFM offers enhanced spatial resolution and quantitative biomechanical information compared to existing methods.
• This technique holds promise for improved diagnosis and understanding of cardiovascular disease development.