Logo image
Tendon Biomechanics and Crimp Properties Following Fatigue Loading Are Influenced by Tendon Type and Age in Mice
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Tendon Biomechanics and Crimp Properties Following Fatigue Loading Are Influenced by Tendon Type and Age in Mice

Andrey Zuskov, Benjamin R. Freedman, Joshua A. Gordon, Joseph J. Saryer, Mark R. Buckley, Louis J. Soslowsky and Joseph J Sarver
Journal of orthopaedic research, v 38(1), pp 36-42
01 Jan 2020
PMID: 31286548
url
https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.24407View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze) Open

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Orthopedics Science & Technology
In tendon, type-I collagen assembles together into fibrils, fibers, and fascicles that exhibit a wavy or crimped pattern that uncrimps with applied tensile loading. This structural property has been observed across multiple tendons throughout aging and may play an important role in tendon viscoelasticity, response to fatigue loading, healing, and development. Previous work has shown that crimp is permanently altered with the application of fatigue loading. This opens the possibility of evaluating tendon crimp as a clinical surrogate of tissue damage. The purpose of this study was to determine how fatigue loading in tendon affects crimp and mechanical properties throughout aging and between tendon types. Mouse patellar tendons (PT) and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendons were fatigue loaded while an integrated plane polariscope simultaneously assessed crimp properties at P150 and P570 days of age to model mature and aged tendon phenotypes (N = 10-11/group). Tendon type, fatigue loading, and aging were found to differentially affect tendon mechanical and crimp properties. FDL tendons had higher modulus and hysteresis, whereas the PT showed more laxity and toe region strain throughout aging. Crimp frequency was consistently higher in FDL compared with PT throughout fatigue loading, whereas the crimp amplitude was cycle dependent. This differential response based on tendon type and age further suggests that the FDL and the PT respond differently to fatigue loading and that this response is age-dependent. Together, our findings suggest that the mechanical and structural effects of fatigue loading are specific to tendon type and age in mice.

Metrics

15 Record Views
27 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Orthopedics
Logo image