Author(s)

K. Tanaka, T. Nagayama, T. Katayama & N. Koizumi

Abstract

The amniotic membrane, which is the innermost layer of the placental membrane, is a thin and transparent tissue. Rejection rarely occurs in the amniotic membrane because it is free from vascular components. Therefore, the amniotic membrane has attracted attention as a surgical biomaterial for regenerative medicine in various medical fields. However, evaluation of mechanical properties for the amniotic membrane is not standardized because of the difficulty in handling tiny amniotic membrane materials. In this study, to propose the most appropriate tensile testing method for the amniotic membrane, the influence of specimen shapes and testing jig types on the mechanical properties of the amniotic membrane is examined. Moreover, for the strain measurement of the thin film like amniotic membrane, due to the low rigidity of the specimen, it is necessary to measure the strain by a non-contact measurement method. A non-contact optical 3D deformation measuring system, which can measure strain by the image correlation method using the dotted pattern of specimen’s surface, is applied for the tensile testing of the amniotic membrane. The dumbbell specimen and grip jig are shown to be suitable for tensile testing of the amniotic membrane. The tensile strength of the amniotic membrane was 6.80 ± 0.22 MPa. For strain measurement by using a non-contact optical 3D deformation measuring system, the organic solvent spray was not suitable because the ink-film was formed on the surface of the amniotic membrane. On the other hand, spray mixed with calcium carbonate and hydrophilic ink was appropriate to apply a dotted pattern on the surface of the amniotic membrane. Keywords: amniotic membrane, tensile test, non-contact optical 3D deformation measuring system.

Keywords

amniotic membrane, tensile test, non-contact optical 3D deformation measuring system