Tissue Eng Regen Med.  2017 Aug;14(4):465-475. 10.1007/s13770-017-0050-5.

Appropriate Tensile Mode and Timing of Applying Tension to Promote Tendon Gel Regeneration

• Kuzumaki T
• Yamazaki K
• Suzuki K
• Torigoe K

• KMID: 2394980
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13770-017-0050-5

Abstract

"Tendon gel" secreted from a parent tendon is regenerated for tendon repair by applying tension. However, the details of the tensile stimulus have not been clarified. This study aimed to evaluate an appropriate tensile stimulus mode and the optimal timing of applying tension to promote tendon gel regeneration. Tendon gel was prepared using a film model method in mice and was preserved in vivo for 3, 5, and 10 days. Unlike tendon gel on day 3 or day 5, a fibrous structure developed in the tendon gel on day 10 when tension was applied. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that characteristic peaks appearing for the tendon gel on days 3 and 5 disappeared on day 10. Disappearance of the peaks indicated maturity of the tendon gel, and it showed the optimal timing for tension application to the tendon gel. The effect of tensile load on tendon gel preserved for 10 days was investigated using a tensile test, a creep test, or a cycle test. In the tensile test, tendon gel was elongated into a thin cord of collagen fibers with an increase in stress, and the maximum diameter of the collagen fiber was approximately 50 times larger than that in the normal Achilles tendon of mice. The results suggest that the diameter of the oriented collagen fiber is controllable by adjusting the applied load and the time in mature tendon gel.

Keyword

Collagen fiber; Tensile stress; Structural control; Atomic force microscope; Fourier transform infrared

MeSH Terms

Achilles Tendon
Animals
Collagen
Humans
Methods
Mice
Parents
Regeneration*
Spectrum Analysis
Tendons*
Collagen