Strain enhancement of elastic modulus in fine fibrin clots

Fine fibrin clots, prepared at pH 8.5, ionic strength 0.45, with minimal lateral aggregation of protofibrils, and ligated (cross-linked) by factor XIIIa, were subjected to constant static shear strain (gamma) with superposed small oscillating strains. The incremental shear modulus (dynamic storage modulus) measured in the oscillating deformations was strain-independent at small static strains (up to about 0.1) and approximately equal to the static modulus. At higher static strains, it increased rapidly, up by a factor of 5 to 8 at gamma = 0.35. Comparison with earlier data on unligated clots showed that the enhancement of stiffness was independent of ligation except at very high strains. The enhancement is attributed to additional forced contacts between network fibers as the strands are bent and oriented. When the static strain was maintained for up to one day, in a clot ligated by factor XIIIa the enhanced incremental modulus remained constant or decreased slightly, and after removal of stress the clot returned almost to its original shape. This contrasts with the behavior of unligated clots, where most of the enhancement was progressively lost as the incremental modulus fell toward its small-strain value, and there was a substantial permanent deformation after the removal of stress. The latter behavior has been attributed to gradual severance of network strands at high strains, followed by their rejoining in relaxed configurations, but leaving some structural damage that is only very slowly recovered in the resting state. Ligation of protofibrils evidently eliminates the possibility of strand rupture.