Along- and cross-muscle fiber shear moduli in skeletal muscle.

The material properties of muscle play a central role in how muscle resists joint motion, transmits forces internally, and repairs itself. While many studies have evaluated muscle's tensile material properties, few have investigated muscle's shear properties. The objective of this study was to quantify the shear moduli of skeletal muscle both along (along-muscle fiber) and perpendicular (cross-muscle fiber) to the direction of muscle fibers.

Efficiency of skeletal muscle decellularization methods and their effects on the extracellular matrix.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is widely considered to be integral to the function of skeletal muscle, providing mechanical support, transmitting force, and contributing to passive stiffness. Many functions and dysfunctions attributed to ECM are thought to stem from its mechanical properties, yet there are few data describing the mechanics of intact ECM. Such measurements require isolating intact ECM from the muscle cells it surrounds.