Smooth muscle contribution to vaginal viscoelastic response

Smooth muscle cells contribute to the mechanical function of various soft tissues, however, their contribution to the viscoelastic response when subjected to multiaxial loading remains unknown. The vagina is a fibromuscular viscoelastic organ that is exposed to prolonged and increased pressures with daily activities and physiologic processes such as vaginal birth. The vagina changes in geometry over time under prolonged pressure, known as creep. Vaginal smooth muscle cells may contribute to creep. This may be critical for the function of vaginal and other soft tissues that experience fluctuations in their biomechanical environment. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop methods to evaluate the contribution of smooth muscle to vaginal creep under multiaxial loading using extension – inflation tests. The vaginas from wildtype mice (C57BL/6 × 129SvEv; 3–6 months; n = 10) were stimulated with various concentrations of potassium chloride then subjected to the measured in vivo pressure (7 mmHg) for 100 s. In a different cohort of mice (n = 5), the vagina was stimulated with a single concentration of potassium chloride then subjected to 5 and 15 mmHg. A laser micrometer measured vaginal outer diameter in real-time. Immunofluorescence evaluated the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and myosin heavy chain in the vaginal muscularis (n = 6). When smooth muscle contraction was activated, vaginal creep behavior increased compared to the relaxed state. However, increased pressure decreased the active creep response. This study demonstrated that extension – inflation protocols can be used to evaluate smooth muscle contribution to the viscoelastic response of tubular soft tissues.