Three dimensional analysis for collagen fiber orientation in the human lung to investigate how the lung can maintain its structure under mechanical load by respiration.

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1) Concerning as changes in shapes of human lung by inspiration, those in perpendicular direction were lager than those in other directions. This result suggests that perpendicular mechanical loads to the human lung under inspiration are larger than those of other directions. 2) In coronal plate, collagen fiber orientations were perpendicularly orientated with high degree of fiber orientation. However in horizontal plate the orientations were poorly orientated. 3) In coronal plate, especially on upper lobe, mechanical stresses in perpendicular direction were larger than those in horizontal direction. 4) In collagen fiber orientations, horizontal directions were predominant, while in mechanical stresses, perpendicular directions were predominant. 5) Anisotropy in collage fiber orientation was inversely correlated with that in mechanical stresses.In conclusion, the human lung has anisotropic mechanical properties to maintain its structure under anisotropic mechanical load by respiration. The mechanical properties of the human lung are closely related with collagen fiber orientation.