Bio-chemo-mechanical coupling models of soft biological materials: A review

Physiological and pathological processes of living soft tissues always involve complicated interplays of biological, chemical, mechanical, and physical cues. Understanding the coupling mechanisms of these factors and their biological implications has attracted extensive interest from the fields of biomechanics, biophysics, biomaterials, and medical engineering. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art of bio-chemo-mechanical coupling theories for soft biological tissues (e.g., tumors, blood vessels, brains, and nerves), synthetic materials (e.g., polymers and hydrogels), and organoids. Particular attention is paid to the modeling methods of bio-chemo-mechanical coupling mechanisms spanning from the molecular level, the cellular level, to the tissular level. Representative examples are provided to reveal the essential roles of bio-chemo-mechanical interplay in biological dynamic processes, including those associated with diseases. This review may not only help to further develop theoretical models and experimental methods of cells, tissues, and biological materials, but also gain insights into the dependence of the macroscopic mechanical properties and biological functions on the microscopic bio-chemo-mechanical coupling mechanisms.