ECCOMAS 2024

Mechanobiological Implications in Liver Mechanics

  • Lambers, Lena (University of Stuttgart)
  • Gerhäusser, Steffen (University of Stuttgart)
  • Mandl, Luis (University of Stuttgart)
  • Humphrey, Jay (Yale University)
  • Ricken, Tim (University of Stuttgart)

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The liver is the central organ for metabolic processes with a complex function-perfusion relationship. Changes in perfusion can have a considerable influence on the functioning of the liver and therefore lead to growth and remodeling processes in the tissue. Liver fibrosis occurs as a complication after changed perfusion due to a Fontan operation to correct heart damage in childhood. Increased central venous pressure leads to a longterm mechanobiological response of the surrounding tissue, resulting in increased collagen formation. We will outline a growth and remodeling approach based on the constraint mixture approach [1] to describe emodeling processes in the liver tissue under the consideration of immunology and mechanobiology [2]. Furthermore, an approach for the simulation of function-perfusion processes in the human liver has been developed. This bi-scale and tri-phasic model enables the quantification of zonated fat accumulation and the resulting tissue growth in the human liver [3, 4]. A model verification has been erformed using histological images from non-alcoholic fatty livers provided from clinical and experimental partners. The computational simulation of hepatic processes leads to a better understanding of the biomechanical processes and lays the foundation to a clinical decision-supporting tool. References [1] J. D. Humphrey and K. R. Rajagopal, A constrained mixture model for growth and remodeling of soft tissues, Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences Vol. 12, No. 03, pp. 407-430 (2002) . [2] Marcos Latorre, et al., Complementary roles of mechanotransduction and inflammation in vascular homeostasis, Proc. R. Soc. A.477 (2020) . [3] Lena Lambers, et al., Quantifying Fat Zonation in Liver Lobules: An Integrated Multiscale In-silico Model Combining Disturbed Microperfusion and Fat Metabolism via a Continuum-Biomechanical Bi-scale, Tri-phasic Approach. BMMB (accepted). [4] Lena Lambers, Multiscale and multiphase modeling and numerical simulation of function-perfusion processes in the liver Dissertation (2023).