. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Mar 10.

Published in final edited form as: Ann Biomed Eng. 2014 Sep 9;43(3):641–656. doi: 10.1007/s10439-014-1104-7

TABLE 1.

Comparative table of most relevant mechanical properties and compositions for major tissue types.

Tissue type	Modulus	Composition	Major chemical constituents
Bone⁸⁹	10 GPa (tensile) 8.7 GPa (buckling)	70% HAP, 18% Col, 10% water	HAP, Col I
Cartilage²	300 kPa (shear)	75% water, 15% Col, 6% GAG	Col II, CS
Tendon¹⁰⁸	500–660 MPa (tensile)	60% water, 30% Col, 3% PG, 2% elastin	Col I, elastin
Peripheral nerve⁹⁹	1.3–2.9 MPa (tension)	78% water, 11% lipids, 8% protein	Galatocerebroside, cholesterol
Brain^79,90	8–15 kPa (shear)
Muscle⁷²	25–100 kPa (indentation)	Cellularly dense, striated, arranged in sarcomeres	Myosin, actin, titin
Skin³¹	1–2 MPa (indentation)	Cellularly dense	Col I, keratin, Col IV

This table is not meant to be exhaustive, but to demonstratively compare tissue mechanics and compositions.

Col collagen, HAP hydroxyapatite, GAG glycosaminoglycan, PG proteoglycan.