Frank-Starling mechanism, fluid responsiveness, and length-dependent activation: Unravelling the multiscale behaviors with an in silico analysis

In this study, we use a multiscale model of the cardiovascular system to untangle the three concepts (length-dependent activation, Frank -Starling, and vascular filling). We first show that length-dependent activation is required to observe both the Frank-Starling mechanism and a positive response to high vascular fillings. Our results reveal a dynamical length dependent activation-driven response to changes in preload, which involve s interactions between the cellular, ventricular and cardiovascular levels and thus highlights fundamentally multiscale behaviors. We show however that the cellular force increase is not enough to explain the cardiac response to rapid changes in preload. We also show that the absence of fluid respon siveness is not related to a saturating Frank-Starling effect. As it is challenging to study those multiscale phenomena experimentally, this computational approach contributes to a more comprehensive knowledge of the sophisticated length-dependent properties of cardiac muscle.

Source: PLoS Computational Biology - October 11, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Sarah Kosta Source Type: research