Atomic force microscopy and mechanical testing of bovine pericardium irradiated to radiotherapy doses

Within the context of radiotherapy our work investigates the feasibility of identifying changes in structural and biomechanical properties of pericardium resulting from exposure to penetrating photon irradiation. Collagen fibres extracted from bovine pericardium were chosen as a model of pericardium extracellular matrix as these form the main fibrous component of the medium. Tests of mechanical properties, controlled by the various structural elements of the tissues, were performed on frontal pericardium, including uni-axial tests and atomic force microscopy (AFM). While the irradiated collagen fibres showed no significant change in D-band spacing up to doses of 80 Gy, the fibre width was found to increase by 34±9% at 80 Gy when compared with that for un-irradiated samples.