Mechanobiology in the Comorbidities of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Shaina P Royer; Sangyoon J Han

doi:10.3389/fcell.2022.874840

Mechanobiology in the Comorbidities of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 Apr 25:10:874840. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.874840. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shaina P Royer¹, Sangyoon J Han^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
³ Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.

Abstract

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDSs) are a group of connective tissue disorders, characterized by skin stretchability, joint hypermobility and instability. Mechanically, various tissues from EDS patients exhibit lowered elastic modulus and lowered ultimate strength. This change in mechanics has been associated with EDS symptoms. However, recent evidence points toward a possibility that the comorbidities of EDS could be also associated with reduced tissue stiffness. In this review, we focus on mast cell activation syndrome and impaired wound healing, comorbidities associated with the classical type (cEDS) and the hypermobile type (hEDS), respectively, and discuss potential mechanobiological pathways involved in the comorbidities.

Keywords: classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; collagen V; extracellular matrix; hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; mast cell degranulation; mechanobiology; stiffness.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

R15 GM135806/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States