Journal article
Microstructured barbs on the North American porcupine quill enable easy tissue penetration and difficult removal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.109(52), pp.21289-21294
12/26/2012
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216441109
PMCID: PMC3535670
PMID: 23236138
Abstract
North American porcupines are well known for their specialized hairs, or quills that feature microscopic backward-facing deployable barbs that are used in self-defense. Herein we show that the natural quill's geometry enables easy penetration and high tissue adhesion where the barbs specifically contribute to adhesion and unexpectedly, dramatically reduce the force required to penetrate tissue. Reduced penetration force is achieved by topography that appears to create stress concentrations along regions of the quill where the cross sectional diameter grows rapidly, facilitating cutting of the tissue. Barbs located near the first geometrical transition zone exhibit the most substantial impact on minimizing the force required for penetration. Barbs at the tip of the quill independently exhibit the greatest impact on tissue adhesion force and the cooperation between barbs in the 0-2 mm and 2-4 mm regions appears critical to enhance tissue adhesion force. The dual functions of barbs were reproduced with replica molded synthetic polyurethane quills. These findings should serve as the basis for the development of bio-inspired devices such as tissue adhesives or needles, trocars, and vascular tunnelers where minimizing the penetration force is important to prevent collateral damage.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Microstructured barbs on the North American porcupine quill enable easy tissue penetration and difficult removal
- Creators
- Woo Kyung Cho - Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USAJames A AnkrumDagang GuoShawn A ChesterSeung Yun YangAnurag KashyapGeorgina A CampbellRobert J WoodRam K RijalRohit KarnikRobert LangerJeffrey M Karp
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.109(52), pp.21289-21294
- Publisher
- United States
- DOI
- 10.1073/pnas.1216441109
- PMID
- 23236138
- PMCID
- PMC3535670
- ISSN
- 1091-6490
- eISSN
- 1091-6490
- Grant note
- DE013023 / NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE013023 / NIDCR NIH HHS GM086433 / NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM086433 / NIGMS NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/26/2012
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984000922002771
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