Abstract
Mucous secretions have a wide range of biological functions that are
intimately linked with their rheological properties. In addition,
many mucous secretions are exposed to significant stress and deformation
during physiological function. This study has examined the rheological
response of three mucous systems, native pig gastric mucus, purified
mucin gels, and mucin alginate gels, to increasing applied stress
to a level sufficient to induce flow behavior. A novel, frequency-dependent
stress hardening was observed in all three systems. This hardening
behavior may play a significant role in the ability of mucous systems
to resist mechanical disruption in the physiological state.
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