Journal
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH
Volume 28, Issue 2, Pages 204-210Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/jor.20982
Keywords
tendinopathy; mechanobiology; enzymatic and mechanical degradations; repair; protease inhibitors
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Funding
- NSERC [299280]
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Tendon response to mechanical loading results in either homeostasis, improvement, or degeneration of tissue condition. In an effort to better understand the development of tendinopathies, this study investigated the mechanical and structural responses of tendons subjected to under- and over-stimulations (1.2% and 1.8% strain respectively, 1 Hz). The objective was to examine three sub-processes of tendon response: mechanical degradation, enzymatic degradation, and repair of the extracellular matrix. We subjected rat tail tendons to a 10-day stimulation protocol with four periods of 6 h each day: 30 min of stimulation and 5 h 30 min of rest. To investigate the contribution of the three sub-processes, we controlled the contribution of the cells through variations in the nutrient and protease inhibitor content in the in vitro solutions. Using nondestructive cyclic tests, we evaluated the daily changes in the peak stress. To assess structural changes, we carried out microscopic analyses at the end of the study period. We observed that the relative contributions of the sub-processes differed according to the stimulation amplitude. With over-stimulation of tendons immersed in DMEM, we succeeded in reducing enzymatic degradation and increasing peak stress. In under-stimulation, the addition of protease inhibitors was required to obtain the same result. (C) 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:204-210, 2010
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