Changes in the Mechanical Properties of Arterial Elastin With Cholesterol Effect

Abstract

Elastin is a protein in the extracellular matrix that provides critical mechanical properties of elasticity and extensibility to many connective tissues, including arteries. Such properties of elastin allow arteries to accommodate deformations encountered during physiological functions. Elastin is subjected to changes in mechanical properties upon exposure to various chemical environments. Elastin is a hydrophobic protein, which makes it an attractive site for the deposition of hydrophobic ligands such as cholesterol [1]. Cholesterol is a type of lipid that gradually builds up along arterial wall with aging and pathological conditions.