Thermomechanical analysis of collagen crosslinking in the developing lamb pericardium

In a developing lamb model, we have used hydrothermal isometric tension (HIT) techniques to assess collagen crosslink stability and its contribution to the mechanical properties of the pericardium. Strip samples of tissue were either: (i) heated to a 90°C isotherm or (ii) heated in 5°C increments between 60–90°C and then 93 and 97°C isotherms. The half-life of stress relaxation associated with peptide bond hydrolysis (t1–2) was calculated at each isotherm. The activation energy, Eact, for the hydrolysis-associated relaxation process was also calculated using the data from the stepwise HIT tests—a technical improvement which significantly reduces the experimental time required to develop statistically valid measurements. Crosslinking in the pericardium increased during development and was demonstrated both by thermoelasticity and by resistance to enzymatic solubilization. We observed greater conversation to thermally stable crosslinks upon maturation, the ratio of the NaBH4-stabilized/ unstabilized half-lives peaking at 21 days postnatal. Whereas tissue from lambs (119 day fetal, and 3 day and 21 day postpartum) showed an early maximum and rapid decay of force, NaBH4 stabilization significantly increased thermal stability and yielded profiles similar to those in adult tissue.